


Room in your Heart for More

by Wherethereissmoak



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fake suicide attempt, Friends to Lovers, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Single Dad Oliver, Single Mom Felicity, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-10-22 16:16:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10700583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherethereissmoak/pseuds/Wherethereissmoak
Summary: Army vet Oliver Queen returns from overseas to find out that he has a 5-year-old son. He is fighting for custody, but is struggling to prove he is a fit father. It's especially hard because he really has no idea what he's doing. By chance he meets single mother Felicity Smoak, who swoops in like an angel to help him become comfortable in his role as a father. Felicity is recovering from her a recent trauma, and as a vet Oliver is able to be the support that she needs. Together, they learn to open up their hearts in ways they never thought possible.





	1. Kids should come with an instruction manual

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a little fic I'm working on while waiting to post my OFBB. Right now it's only planned to be about five-ish chapters, but we will see where the muse takes me. :) Thanks to all my cabin-mates in Camp NanoWriMo for being so encouraging. Hope you enjoy.
> 
> I don't have a beta on this one, so I'm sorry for any errors.

His years in the military prepared Oliver Queen for many things – but one of them was not how to deal with the screaming five-year-old in front of him.

It was his day with his son William, so they had taken advantage in the break from the constant rains to come to the park.

“It hurts, Oliver, it hurts!” William cried, holding his leg with a cut knee. New to the parenting business, Oliver had no idea what to do in this situation. He had no Band-Aids. Hell, he didn’t even have a tissue to wipe off the blood that was now dripping down his son’s leg. Should he carry a screaming child through town back to his loft? Should he go to the public restroom and try to clean it up there? It was moments like these that made him feel like a completely inadequate father.

“Hey buddy, did you get an owie?” A soft voice said. He looked up to see a petite blonde bending over his son’s knee with a kind smile on her face.

William looked up at him, asking for permission to talk to the kind stranger. He nodded, and his son gave the woman a tearful nod. “I fell down and hit my knee. And now I’m bu-leeding.”

She looked down at his skinned knee and gave it a dramatic frown. “Well, that’s just no good. But I happen to have my special kick-butt owie fixer in my purse. And if it’s OK with your Dad, I can use it to clean you up and make it feel better.”

Two pairs of blue eyes turned to him. Oliver could swear that God had sent this angel down to rescue him.

“Um…it’s fine with me if Miss…”

“Felicity…Smoak.”

“…Felicity wants to bandage you up.” Oliver mouthed “thank you” to the woman and she responded with winking at him before turning back to William.

“My daughter Lizzie scrapes her knees all the time, just like you, so I have to keep this stuff in my purse.” Felicity pulled some wipes, antibiotic cream and Band-Aids out of her bag. “Now this is going to sting for a minute while I wipe this blood and dirt away. But I have an important mission for you. You see that girl in the purple shirt with the pigtails? That’s Lizzie. I need you to count the number of pink polka dots on that purple shirt.”

“Why?”

“Because we argued about that this morning and it would be nice to have a third-party weigh in.”

The boy started counting, and was so focused on his task that he only winced a little when Felicity cleaned his knee and applied the antibiotic cream. She opened the Band-Aid and Oliver was surprised to see it was an Avengers one.

Felicity smirked at Oliver’s raised eyebrow. “Girls like superheroes too.” He grinned at her, probably one of his first genuine smiles since he had been discharged from the army. He couldn’t believe how this woman he had just met was having this effect on him.

“There we go, almost there.” Felicity placed the Avengers bandage on William’s knee. “Now we need one more magic ingredient.” She leaned down and gave a soft peck on the knee. “There, no it should be on its way to getting all better.”

William smiled up at Felicity like she was the sun, and Oliver guessed that his own expression was the same.

“Now, give it to me, how many dots?”

“12”

“Hmm…that’s different than either of us got.”

“To be fair, he can only count up to 12,” Oliver chimed in. Felicity laughed. “Well Lizzie can only go to 11 so he has her beat.”

“Oliver, can I go play again?”

“Sure buddy, I’m glad you are feeling better. What do you say to Miss Felicity?”

William yelled his thanks over his shoulder as he raced to join Lizzie on the swings. “If he doesn’t slow down, we’ll be patching up another skinned knee in a few minutes.” Felicity laughed again, and the sound warmed his heart.

“Thank you so much for patching up my son,” he said as she got up from her kneeling position and sat on the bench next to him. “I’m Oliver, by the way. Oliver Queen.”

“I know who you are Mr. Queen. I actually work in the building with your name on it.”

“You work for Queen Consolidated?”

“Yeah, in the IT Department. I just had the day off today because my mom, who normally takes care of Lizzie, had some stuff to do that she couldn’t get out of. What’s your excuse for being out of the office on this lovely Friday, Mr. Queen?”

“Oliver, please. Mr. Queen was my father.”

“Right and he had a heart attack. I mean he’s dead. I mean he’s gone…ugh. I mean…it’s nice to meet you, Oliver. Please ignore my babbling. So what are you doing here on this fine afternoon…Oliver?”

It took him a minute to catch up with her words, but his mouth ticked up into a smile at her ramble.

“It’s my weekend with William, so I got out of work at lunchtime to go pick him up. The weather was so nice that we decided to grab some sunshine at the park before the next storm rolls in.”

_Really, Oliver, you’re talking about the weather? Smooth._

“I read about your son in the tabloids, sounds like a dicey situation,” Felicity said. “Not that you want to talk about all that personal stuff with a random stranger.”

“You’re not a random stranger. You saved my son’s…knee.”

Felicity laughed again. “Well, saving is a strong word for kissing a boo-boo, but I’ll take it.”

The two sat in silence for a moment, watching their children play. His mother, Thea, Tommy…they all complained that he was closed off since returning from his last tour of duty. Oliver didn’t know why, but he felt like he could open up to her.

“My son doesn’t even call me Dad, but I’m at least grateful I get to spend time with him. My mother paid off his mom when she was pregnant, so she lied to me and told me she had a miscarriage. I shipped out none the wiser.”

“Yikes…how did you find out the truth?”

“I ran into them in a coffee shop when I was visiting a friend in Central City. And given that he looks exactly like me as a kid and the timing matched up, I figured it out very quickly.”

Felicity was looking at William and then back at Oliver, and he could tell she was noting the similarities.

“You definitely have the same eyes. So why did it get so heated between you and his mom? I read in the papers that you were suing for custody.”

He told her that because of what his mother had done, Samantha had judged his family harshly and did not want William to have anything to do with him. She had tried to deny him any visitation at first, and threatened that he would never see his son if he told anyone.

“I decided that was when I had to see a lawyer. I had just gotten my honorable discharge from the army after my dad died and I needed to take over the company, and feeling the loss of my father, I didn’t want my son to never know his.”

He looked down in surprise when he felt her grab his hand. “For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing,” she said softly. “My father left our family when I was a child, so I know what it feels to grow up without one.”

Oliver braced himself to ask the question he wasn’t sure he wanted an answer to.

“So Lizzie’s dad is…”

“Not in the picture, which breaks my heart for my little girl, but is for the best, believe me.” Her body language indicated that the subject was closed for now.

“So do you get him on the weekends?” she asked, swiftly changing the subject. Oliver shook his head.

“I wish. Right now, I only get him once a month, but I have a court date next month on the joint custody issue. But Samantha is really busting my balls on literally everything. I guarantee you that since he skinned his knee under my watch, that will come up at the hearing, with pictures documenting about how unsafe he is in my care.”

It was a bitter pill to swallow. He had not had the five years of experience raising a child as Samantha had – but he really wanted the opportunity to try.

“You should write an incident report.”

At Oliver’s confused expression, she went on to explain that her friend was a foster parent, and they had to fill out an incident report to document every bump and scrape that happened to kids in their care.

“That’s actually a really good idea, I will talk to my lawyer about it,” he said.

“I would be happy to sign it as a witness. It will give it more strength if the skinned knee is brought up at the hearing.” She smiled at him.

Lizzie and William came bounding up to them. “Mommy, can we go get some ice cream? Can William come too?”

Felicity’s daughter was as cute as she was. Her brown hair was pulled into pigtails and she had a smackering of freckles on her cheeks and nose. He could tell from her mom’s expression that the answer was going to be no on the ice cream, but he didn’t know how Felicity could resist those big blue, begging eyes.

“I’m sorry honey, we have to get going soon. We have to stop and bring Grammy some soup on the way.”

The little girl frowned, but didn’t protest. “How about you and William go play for five more minutes and if you don’t throw a fit when it’s time to leave, we’ll make cookies tonight for dessert.”

“OK Mommy! C’mon William!” The two kids laughed at their race to get in all the playing could before time was up.

“You are so good with her. If that was Will asking, I would have caved, or I would have been dealing with a major tantrum.” Oliver heaved a sigh in frustration. He had survived several tours of duty, but parenting was proving more difficult.

“You’ll get there…it just takes time. And a lot of learning from your mistakes.”

“Well, I’m making a lot of those,” he mumbled.

Felicity reached for his hand again, gave it a reassuring squeeze and then reached for her purse and started digging for through it. Oliver couldn’t help but smile at her look of frustration at not finding what she was looking for. She bit her lip and kept digging.

“Aha! I knew I had one in here!” She handed Oliver her business card. “I know we just met today, but seriously, if you ever need someone to talk to, or if you get in a situation that you might want a second opinion on, please give me a call.”

Electricity buzzed between them when their fingers touched while exchanging the card. “Thank you, Felicity, you are quite remarkable.”

She smiled. “Thank you for remarking on it.”

Felicity called her daughter over and they said their goodbyes. As he watched her go…he couldn’t help but feel for the first time since coming home, since his father’s death and since finding out about William that things may just turn out okay.

***

Three days later, Felicity was running very late to work. Her daughter had argued over everything this morning, from what kind of cereal she wanted to how she wanted her hair done. Felicity laughed at the thought that Oliver had believed she was such a great mother.

 _We all have our moments_ she thought.

She walked into her office and was surprised to find a big bouquet of flowers sitting on her desk. Felicity hurried to grab the note attached to them.

_Felicity, thank you for your help and conversation in the park the other day. It was truly a pleasure. I spoke to my lawyer about your suggestion and he wrote up an incident report for you to sign as a witness, it should be on your desk. Thanks for agreeing to do that. BTW, the flowers are not a bribe to sign the paper, they are just to make you smile. – OQ_

And smile she did. Oliver Queen. That man with the soulful blue eyes that made her just want to wrap her arms around him and give him a big hug. She could tell from the way that he carried himself that he was holding onto a lot of pain. She recognized it because she had seen it in herself.

She didn’t know why she gave him her card – Felicity guessed she just had a soft spot for hot single dads who had no idea what they were doing. Hot? Why did she add that in. Sure, the guy made her stomach do flips, especially when he smiled at her. But she was not in any position to even think of a guy like that…not with everything going on with Cooper. Not with all she had to do to take care of her daughter and keep her safe.

Besides, it’s not as if someone like Oliver Queen would ever be interested in someone like her. She was pretty sure she had Cheerios in her hair. Yep, there was one. She pulled it out and laughed.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to help the man out, as long as it wasn’t for the purpose of admiring his dimples. Felicity signed the incident report and put it back in the envelop, including a post-it note thanking him for the flowers.

She sealed it all up and dropped it in the inter-office mailbox to be delivered to their CEO, thinking that was probably the last interaction she would have with Oliver Queen.


	2. Cough cures and foot rubs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William is sick and Oliver calls on Felicity for help. She later has a nightmare about past trauma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I updated sooner than I expected. I was going for later this week, but it was done so I thought I would post it before we were all spiraling from tomorrow night's episode. :) 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING for this chapter: Almost suicide attempt, kind of, but not really. Don't want to spoil too much, but also don't want to freak someone out that might get triggered.

Oliver turned the volume down on his football game at the sound of coughing from the other room. When Samantha had dropped William off, she said that he was sick. She took him to the doctor and he said it wasn’t more than a virus and they just had to wait it out and give him plenty of rest.

Oliver could tell that she was waiting to see if he would cancel on his weekend with William just because he was sick. But no, he was not about to give up time with his son, even if they were just relaxing together.

But that cough had him worried. How was William supposed to get the rest he needed to heal if his coughing kept him awake? He called Thea and sent her to the local drug store, but most of the cough medicines were for ages six and older. Once again, he had no idea what to do.

He reached into his wallet and pulled out Felicity’s card. Should he call her? He looked at the clock – it wasn’t too late into the night yet. He could give her a ring and just get some advice. Oliver felt like an idiot for not knowing what to do.

He dialed Felicity’s number and paced nervously as it rang. He was surprised when she answered. “Felicity? Hi, it’s Oliver. Oliver Queen?”

“As opposed to all the other Olivers I gave my phone number to?” Her joke eased some of his tension.

“So do you always answer the phone late in the evening when it’s an unidentified number? Doesn’t seem safe to me,” he teased.

“Yeah, well, I live in the dark ages when it comes to manners. If my phone rings, I answer it. If it’s a douchebag or an overly-aggressive salesperson, I hack them later and make their life miserable for a couple of hours.”

Oliver felt a laugh bubbling up inside him, something he had not experienced in a long time.

“So, I’m guessing you called me for a reason?” Felicity didn’t beat around the bush – another trait he decided he liked in her.

“Yeah, William is coughing really bad. His doctor said it’s just a virus, but I’m trying to find a way to stop his cough so he can get some sleep. You told me to call if I ever needed advice…”

“What’s your address? I’ll be right there.”

“You don’t have to come over here at this time of night.”

“Oliver, relax. It will be easier for me to just bring stuff over than have to walk you through everything on the phone.” He was not opposed to seeing her again, but he didn’t want to take advantage.

“What about Lizzie?”

“She is staying over at a friend’s house tonight. I’m all by my lonesome.”

Oliver finally agreed and gave her his address, and within 30 minutes he heard her knock on the door. To say that he thought she looked adorable in her Star Wars pajamas would be an understatement. She carried a large bag in her arms, and he took it from her and set it on the table.

“I hope you know I’m going to let you in on my super-secret cough cure.”

“My lips are sealed.” Actually, his lips were smiling. God, this woman always brought that out in him. She leaned forward and started pulling stuff out of the bag.

“Honey…sooths the throat.”

She pulled out a jar of Vicks.

“And that’s for his chest right?” Felicity shook her head at his guess.

“No, and this is going to sound really weird, but it’s for his feet. It makes absolutely no sense, but I read this old wives’ tale online and I swear to God it works.”

Oliver took the Vicks from her hand. “I trust you.” She grinned back at him.

“This is a diffuser for some germ killer essential oil. I order a special blend online that only has kid-safe ingredients. Can you help me carry all of this stuff?”

They gathered all the cough remedy ingredients and Oliver led the way to William’s room, although should could have just followed the sound of coughing. They woke his son up, and he was disappointed that Felicity was there without Lizzie. After the promise of a playdate soon, he finally took a spoonful of the honey. He giggled when Felicity put the Vicks on his feet, saying it tickled. She covered his feet with socks, and then gave his feet a bonus tickle.

Oliver was so amazed at how good she was with his son. He only wished that he could interact with William with such ease. The two of them were still trying to figure each other out.

Felicity set up the air diffuser to mist something that smelled like oranges into the air, gave William a kiss on the head, and snuck out of the room as the boy started to drift off. His cough had faded. Oliver copied her movements and gave him a soft kiss before sneaking out.

“Goodnight, Daddy,” a soft voice from the bed said. Oliver thought his heart would burst in a million pieces at the sound of his son calling him that. Holding back tears, he turned back to William. “Goodnight, buddy, I love you.”

As he reached the door, William said “I love you too.” Oliver could not hold the tears back anymore. He dropped to the floor in the hallway, and let the sobs overtake him. Felicity found him that way, and she sat down next to him, pulling him into a side hug.

Oliver cried on her shoulder for about 10 minutes, and she ran her fingers soothingly through his hair. Even after he calmed down, they sat in silence, keeping their embrace. Oliver thought most would think it was awkward that two people who had only met once would be in this position, but he felt natural with Felicity somehow.

He told her what his son had said, and it made tears glisten in her eyes too.

“It’s just I’ve been working so hard to be his father, I never really stopped and enjoyed being his Dad. Hearing him finally call me that…Felicity, it was the best thing in the world.”

“Yeah, I get it. I haven’t even gone through half of what you’ve been through, but when my daughter said ‘Mama’ for the first time, I melted into a puddle of goo.”

He laughed at that, and stood up, pulling her with him. They were face to face, standing in the hallway. All he had to do was lean down a little to kiss her. Part of him wanted to, but another part was terrified. He didn’t know if he was ready for that kind of relationship – he hadn’t even considered it since got home from the Army. They stood there for a moment, but she suddenly took a step back from him. “Hey – it’s early and I’ve got nowhere to go – do you want to watch a movie or something? I noticed that super big screen TV in your living room. If I’m going to be friends with the CEO, I might as well enjoy the perks.”

He noticed her not-so-subtle drop of the word “friend.” He would take that for now, he thought, as he followed her to the living room. After she learned that he had never seen the Lord of the Rings movies, she downloaded one for them to watch.

They weren’t halfway through the movie when the two of them nodded off to sleep, her head resting on Oliver’s shoulder.

***

 

_He had her daughter and he was going to hurt her. Felicity’s heart pounded in her chest at the sight of Cooper holding a knife to Lizzie’s throat._

_“Give me the passkey to the code, Felicity, and this will all be over,” her ex-husband said._

_“How can you even do this to her? She’s your daughter.” Felicity could tell from the feral look in his eyes that her words were not getting through. Cooper had gotten involved with the wrong people – and they had manipulated him into the monster he was before them._

_She knew that she had to save her daughter, but she also knew the damage those people would do to the world if they got their hands on her code. This was an impossible decision to make._

_So she chose not to make it. She grabbed a knife off the kitchen counter and held it to her wrist. “You will never get the code from me and you cannot use my daughter to tempt me if I’m out of the equation.”_

_“Felicity, no!” Her mother, who was cowering on the couch where Cooper had made her sit when he had grabbed Lizzie. Felicity looked at her mom, trying to communicate apologies with her eyes. “Take care of Lizzie,” she whispered before she made a tentative cut. It wasn’t deep, but it was enough to convince Cooper that she was serious. She would never leave her daughter alone in this world, but Cooper had to believe she would._

_He dropped Lizzie, who rushed into Donna Smoak’s arms, and charged at Felicity, trying to grab the knife. Felicity took the opportunity to stab him in the leg. She screamed in terror. Cooper screamed in pain._

Felicity felt Oliver shake her out of the nightmare, that was revisiting the worst day of her life. “Felicity, God, wake up, it’s just a dream.”

She sat up quickly and pushed herself away from Oliver, hugging her knees to her chest. Her head was drenched in sweat, and Felicity started rubbing the scar on her wrist with her thumb.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked softly. His voice was so gentle and sweet with concern, a dramatic contrast to the voices from the dream that haunted her. She sat in silence, shaking. She knew that she should say something to him, that he was worried, but she had to focus on calming herself down. She did the exercises her therapists taught her to even out her breathing.

“You know, when I came back from Afghanistan, I had nightmares too. I know it may sound hard to believe right now, and I don’t know how long ago whatever it is that happened to you happened, but it does get better with time. The nightmares happen less and less. I only have one every couple of weeks now.”

Felicty continued to shake as she processed his words. She would love to know that these nightmares would diminish soon. She hated reliving that terror over and over. Cooper had been arrested that day and sent to prison for probably the rest of his life, but she would never forget the fear in her daughter’s eyes and her inability to protect her from the danger of her own father.

She hadn’t even had much time to heal from what had happened, because shortly after Cooper was convicted, his parents tried to sue her for joint custody of Lizzie. Fortunately, they had lost. Felicity had tried to be nice and allow them a visit with her daughter, but Lizzie had come home so traumatized when they tried to spin her scariest moment into a misunderstanding and pressure the girl into “getting over it.” Felicity put her foot down after that. No more visits.

And she signed both Lizzie and herself up for therapy. And while it was helping her function better during the day – she wouldn’t be here as a friend to Oliver if it hadn’t – her nights were still haunted by nightmares.

Felicity did not pull away when Oliver reached out and pulled her feet into his lap, rubbing them. She looked up at him in surprise.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just let someone take care of you, for once.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. She had not felt comfort from someone like this in a while. Her mother and daughter loved her, yes, but they were all recovering from the trauma in their own way. It was nice to have someone who understood how she felt, but was already almost on the other side of the healing journey.

She relished the feeling of him rubbing her feet, and that surprised her. Up until now, the thought of another man ever touching her was unthinkable. Oliver was only her friend, and she doubted she would ever feel comfortable being anything more with someone again, but being this close to him now was progress.

Felicity’s eyes began to droop, and soon she fell into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm no doctor, but I swear the Vicks on the feet thing works on my kids and stops coughing instantly. I yell it at people when they are sick - kind of like that guy from My Big Fat Greek Wedding who claims Windex can cure anything. LOL 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was nervous about the dream part, because I usually write fluffy fics so that angst was new territory for me. Next update probably on Saturday!


	3. Meetings and moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity meets Moira and Thea, and...Samantha. Oliver offers some help to Felicity for her PTSD, but is nervous that she will perceive it as meddling too far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday everyone! I have been overwhelmed by all the love this story has been receiving. Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> There is someone who calls Oliver "Ollie" in this chapter that is not Thea or someone from his past and I know that usually annoys people - but I think when you read you will forgive me because of cuteness. ;)

Since the night she spent on Oliver’s couch, he and Felicity had become the best of friends. While neither bothered to deny the chemistry between them, they had both pushed “pause” on that aspect and focused on their friendship.

Oliver started popping down to her office on weekdays for lunch, and a couple of times a week they had a movie/TV night. She started him on Dr. Who and he was skeptical at first, but he grew to love it. She caught him one day watching some of the older episodes from the 1960s by himself.

Probably the best part of their friendship were their park days on Saturdays. On the weekends that Oliver had William, the four of them would spend most of the day there followed by some ice cream. William and Lizzie were becoming fast friends.

On the weekends Oliver did not have William, they still went to the park, but for not as long. Felicity couldn’t help but love how great he was with her daughter. She had no idea why he thought that he was not good at being around kids. The two of them laughed and joked all the time, and he even let Lizzie paint his toenails.

Felicity noticed that the longer Oliver spent time with her and Lizzie, the more relaxed he was around William. The two of them really started to connect and have more fun together.

She was so excited for this weekend because William was going to be with Oliver and the four of them were going to do one of her favorite nerdy activities – attend the local Renaissance Festival. Felicity was going to dress up in her best tavern wench dress, and Lizzie was going as a fairy. The boys were opting to not be in costume, but Felicity had secretly bought a pirate costume for William because he was currently obsessed with them.

She was just about to log off her computer at work for the weekend when she heard a knock on her office door. Felicity looked up to see Thea Queen standing there with a smile on her face and coffee in her hand.

“My brother warned me not to visit you without coming armed with a bribe of caffeine.” She set the cup on Felicity’s desk, along with her laptop.

“Hi Thea, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.” After she and Oliver started hanging out, his younger sister had insisted on Facetiming with both of them several times. She was busy finishing up her midterms, but had promised a hangout day when she had a break from her studies.

“I know we still haven’t formed our BFF status, but my phone is acting all weird and I was hoping you could take a look at it?”

“Thea, your last name is pretty much on the building, so I’m technically your IT girl too. Although, the coffee is a nice touch.” She winked at the young girl and picked up the phone. “Whoa, you have so many apps on this thing. Are they all necessary?”

“Um, yes, I need them to run my life, connect with my friends – basically survive.”

Felicity couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s passion. It had been so long since she had been a teenager, but she remembered how everything seemed to be life and death.

“Well, part of the problem is that you don’t have enough memory on this phone to support this much content.” She reached for her purse and dug through it. At the bottom, she found a baggie filled with various flash drives and other small computer components. “Yes! I knew I had one! I’m putting in one of my extra micro-SD that will give a little more storage on the phone, but you are going to have to do some soul searching and cut back on the apps a bit.”

Thea took the phone back from Felicity when it was done, and hugged it lovingly. Then she walked around the desk and gave the blonde a hug as well.

“Thank you so much, Felicity, you have literally saved my life.”

“Thea? Are you down here?” A voice called from the hallway outside the door.

“I’m in here, Mom, with Felicity,” Thea replied and the matriarch of the Queen family, Moira Queen herself, entered Felicity’s small office.

“Oh, so I finally get to meet the famous Felicity.” She had a warm smile on her face, that Felicity nervously returned. The woman’s business suit was tailored to her perfectly, and it made Felicity attempt to straighten her wrinkled button-up shirt a bit.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Queen.” Felicity reached out and shook her hand.

“My son has spoken highly of you, Ms. Smoak, and my fiancée, for that matter. He says you will accomplish big technological things for Queen Consolidated. And please, call me Moira.”

A few months ago, Moira announced her engagement to Walter Steele, a VP in the company who directly oversaw Felicity’s department. She was thrilled to hear that her boss’ boss was impressed with her work.

“Thank you, Mrs. Queen…I mean Moira. Oliver is great too, and so is William. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them.”

Thea grabbed her purse, putting her fixed phone inside. “Mom, Felicity just fixed my phone. She is a true hero.”

Moira laughed at her daughter.

“Well apparently, Ms. Smoak you have saved my daughter and I now see my son smile on a daily basis – and I think I can thank you for that as well.”

Felicity blushed. “They make me smile, too.” Moira gave Felicity a knowing smile – although Felicity wasn’t sure she wanted to be in on what Moira thought she knew.

Thea leaned over and whispered, “I think my mom ships you guys.” Felicity blushed even more. She figured she probably resembled a cherry tomato by now.

“Oliver and I are just friends.”

“For now,” the Queen matriarch said, winking at Felicity as she left her office.

What the heck – had Moira Queen just giving her a blessing to date her son? Felicity didn’t know what had just happened, but she would be thinking about it for a long time.

***

Oliver paced his living room in nervous anticipation. Felicity and Lizzie were due to arrive for pizza and movie night in a few minutes, but Samantha was running late in bringing William over. He did not want any conflict should they meet.

It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his friendship with Felicity, but Samantha made a mountain out of every little molehill and who knows what she would make of him having a female friend spending time with his son? They had the hearing coming up on Thursday and he didn’t want to make any waves.

On the flip side, Samantha represented a time in Oliver’s life when he was very different from the man he was now. The man that Felicity knew. Back when he slept with Samantha, he was a party boy, who bounced from girl to girl. His years in the military and the death of his father changed him.

Still, at this point, it couldn’t be avoided. He and Felicity were just friends for now, but he very much intended for her to be a permanent fixture in his life, and therefor William’s. She was bound to meet Samantha at some point.

The doorbell rang -and he hurried to answer it. He was relieved to find that it was Samantha and William. Maybe she would be gone before Felicity arrived.

“Sorry, we’re late, Daddy. My soccer game went into overtime. And guess what? We won! And I helped on the winning goal.” His son was bouncing up and down with excitement.

“That’s so awesome, buddy!”

“Maybe Mommy will let you come to one of my games sometime.” Samantha’s mouth was in a tight line as she handed William’s bags to Oliver. She had become decidedly colder the more that William warmed up to Oliver. When they first spent time together and he and his son had a standoffish relationship, Samantha was pleased.

But the more Oliver became a father, the more Samantha seemed to be unhappy. This grated at Oliver because why wouldn’t she want her son to be happy?

“His stuff is all here, and I will be here at 6 on Sunday evening to pick him up. Make sure you guys are here.”

She gave William a hug, and she turned and opened the door. Oliver almost groaned when he saw Felicity and Lizzie on the other side. Felicity’s hand was raised as she was about to knock.

“Oh, I uh…are we early?” Felicity hesitated before entering the apartment. Samantha narrowed her eyes at her. Lizzie on the other hand no reservations whatsoever. She bounded in and up to Oliver and gave him a big hug.

“Hey Folly-Ollie!” Oliver grabbed the girl and swung her up into his arms. “Hey Dizzie-Lizzie!” He gave her a big kiss on the cheek and put her back down, and she and William ran off to play.

“You must be Samantha, I’m Oliver’s friend Felicity and Lizzie’s mom, obviously. It’s so nice to meet you. William is a wonderful kid, you are doing an amazing job with him.” Oliver grinned at her, knowing she was rambling because she was nervous. He had noticed the habit a week or so ago. Samantha looked like she didn’t know what to do or say. It was really hard to be mean to the ray of sunshine that was Felicity Smoak, Oliver thought.

“You’re not his usual type,” Samantha finally spat, passing Felicity on her way out the door.

“Oh Oliver and I aren’t…we’re just friends.”

Samantha snorted at that. “Whatever you say, honey.” And then she was gone.

“Well, isn’t she pleasant?” Felicity asked. She dropped their bags by the door. She and Lizzie were spending the night in the guest room since they were taking Oliver’s car to the Renaissance Festival in the morning. “That was kind of stressful – feed me pizza.”

Oliver threw his head back and laughed. How could this woman bring such humor to even the worst situations? “You’re wish is my command, milady.” He pulled her in for a hug and then steered her toward the pizza boxes in the kitchen.

“Oh, practicing for tomorrow, I see. Thou art the kindest of souls, dear sir, for offering sustenance in my hour of need.” Felicity was giggling at full force now, and it was the best sound in the world to him. Scratch that – the second best sound, he thought as giggling announced William and Lizzie’s entrance into the room.

After pizza, they popped in _Moana_ , and the kids only made it through half of it before they were sound asleep. Oliver and Felicity tucked them into their beds before returning to the living room.

“Do you want to watch another episode of Dr. Who? The new season just started and we still have a lot of catching up to do.” Felicity curled up on his couch and grabbed her favorite throw to tuck over herself. A sense of contentment washed over him at the sight of her so comfortable in his home.

“Yeah, in a few minutes. But I have something to give you first.” He walked over to his desk and pulled out a bag from the bookstore.

“Oooh presents! I love presents!” She grabbed the bag when he brought it to her. She pulled out a leather-bound journal. “Oliver, this is beautiful, thank you. You didn’t have to buy me anything.”

“I know, but this gift has a purpose.” He sat down next to her, but hesitated to continue. He wanted to help her, but didn’t want to hurt their friendship in any way. Finally, he gathered courage to proceed. “When I came back from the war…I was pretty messed up. As I told you before, I had terrible nightmares and I really couldn’t talk to anyone about the things I’d done or seen. I went to a therapist, which helped, but the real healing came when I started getting all those memories out by writing them in a journal.”

Felicity’s eyes dropped to the book in her hands. She fingered its edges nervously. Oliver took a big breath and continued.

“I know you have gone through something awful, and you don’t ever have to tell me…but, Felicity, I think it would help you start to heal if you get some of it down on paper. Let the memories live there instead of in your nightmares.”

Felicity sat silently. Oliver held his breath, worried that he had gone too far in broaching a subject that had so far been off limits. They had not talked about her nightmares since that first night that she had slept over. There had been a few others on the nights she and Lizzie crashed in the guest room, but he wordlessly met her at the couch each time and rubbed her feet until she fell back to sleep. Should he have just left it alone?

“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at him with eyes shining with tears. “Thank you for caring.” She crossed the couch and was in his arms in seconds. He relished the feeling of her weight on him. She looked up at him, their faces inches apart. It would be so easy for him to lean forward and give her a soft kiss, but he knew they both weren’t ready for that.

He could tell that Felicity had a lot of healing to do. And Oliver, he was progressing in his therapy, but there was more. He didn’t believe that he was a good enough man, after everything he had done in the past, to deserve someone like Felicity. But he was going to work his hardest to become one.

Felicity’s told him that she felt the heat of the moment too, although they were also filled with regret.

“Oliver…I love being your friend. And I don’t know if I ever will be able to be something more…with anyone. But if Lizzie and I are taking up too much space in your life, or if I’m stopping you from seeing anyone – we can…”

She started to pull away, and he holds her in place.

“Fe-li-ci-ty. Since I got back from overseas, I haven’t been in a place where I could in a romantic relationship either. You are the first person I have really spent much time with outside of my family. I love spending time with you, anyway we can. Just as you are.”

She looked up at him in surprise. “Oh,” she said, her lips forming a perfect circle. Then she laid her head against his chest. “Oliver, I want you to know that if I was ready to be with someone. I would want it to be with you.”  

Her body had stiffened a bit, frozen in Oliver’s arms. She didn’t look at him and Oliver knew she was afraid of his reaction to her declaration. He tilted her head toward him so he could look into her shining blue eyes.

“Felicity, I want you to know that when I’m ready to be with someone – it will be with you.”

“But what if I’m not ready?”

“Then I will wait.”

“But what if I’m never ready?” She looked so crestfallen at the idea. Oliver wished he could do something to erase all the doubts and fears that had a hold of her heart. He also wish he could round up a squad of his army buddies and do some damage to whoever had hurt her so much.

He tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

“Then we will be platonic snuggle buddies for life. And we will grow old arguing about science fiction and pizza toppings, and collect cats.”

Felicity laughed at that and snuggled closer to him. They fell asleep once again on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Moira and Thea scene gave me the giggles late one night, along with Oliver and Felicity's speech practice for Ren Fest. :) 
> 
> Yes, Oliver and Felicity have feelings...but have resolved to be friends for now. Can you feel the slow burn? LOL Next chapter should be up Tuesday if I can finish Chapter 5 by then. I like to be one chapter ahead of the one I'm posting.


	4. Big old ticker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Felicity and the kids attend the Renaissance Festival. On the way home, Felicity receives some news that shakes her to the core and she shares more about her past with Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys wanted to be hit with extra feels this morning, right?

He looked ridiculous, so Felicity couldn’t help but snap a picture. She smiled at the shot of Oliver – this was what Renaissance Festival was all about. He was wearing a Robin Hood cap that she bought him, and taking a huge bite out of a roasted turkey leg.

She snapped another pic of William and Lizzie dueling with their wooden swords, a flower wreath in her daughter’s hair. It was only lunch time, but it had already been the perfect day. They arrived and watched several musical shows, and the jousting tournament. Their knight that they were cheering for was, of course, the victor.

Now they had stopped for lunch. While Felicity and Oliver had opted for the uniquely themed food of the festival, the two had chuckled when the kids just asked for a slice of pizza.  

“Hey mom, check out that guy! He’s blowing bubbles with glass!” Lizzie said excitedly. Felicity and Oliver quickly cleaned up the lunch mess and followed the kids over to the glass-blowing booth. Oliver purchased a piece for each child. Lizzie held up her little glass unicorn in reverence.

“Isn’t this the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, Mamma?” Felicity nodded, her heart clenching at the look of awe and adoration her daughter was giving Oliver. After everything that happened with Cooper, she never thought Lizzie would look at someone that way again.  Oliver Queen had come into their lives and been the balm they needed for their broken hearts.

“You okay?” Oliver asked her, bringing her out of her reverie. “Yeah, I’m more than okay.” They grinned at each other and followed the children to the next booth, where a basket weaver was displaying his skill.

Oliver’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he frowned when he read the message. Felicity reached out and grabbed his hand. “What is it?”

“My lawyer just texted. Apparently, Samantha thinks that she doesn’t have enough to prove that I haven’t been a good father, so now she is bringing in character witnesses from my past. That is going to be a shit show. I…I wasn’t a good guy before I went into the army, Felicity.” 

Felicity tightened her hold on his hand. She wished there was something she could do to fix this for him. Or at least fast forward through all the drama to the happy ending in which he was legally allowed to be a father to his son.

“Well, you are just going to have to bring in character witnesses yourself. I’m sure there are plenty of people who can testify about the man you are now. I’m one of them.”

Oliver nodded. “That’s what my lawyer said.”

They tried to enjoy the rest of the festival, but she could tell the reminder of his upcoming hearing was weighing on him. The only thing that made him relax a little was when they got to the archery booth. It turned out that Oliver had been into archery in high school. He joyfully helped each of them learn how to hold, aim and shoot the bow. Felicity tried to ignore the butterflies in her belly when Oliver had his arms on hers to show her how it was done.

They ended their day with some honey roasted almonds and watching a Celtic band play. Lizzie twirled in her fairy dress as the music played. Felicity wished she could capture that moment in a bubble and live in it forever.

She wished for that even more when they were on their way home when her phone started to ring. It was her mom on the other end.

“Hi Mom, what’s up?”

“Hi, honey. I’m sorry to interrupt your day out with the kids, but I thought you would want to know right away. The police department called here looking for you – a Detective Lance? He said that he had some news about Cooper. Oh God, you don’t think they are letting him out, do you?”

“No, Mom, we are invited to all parole hearings. It can’t be that.” Out of the corner of her eye she could see Oliver looking at her with curiosity. She said goodbye to her mom after she promised to text the detective’s phone number.

She gave Oliver a weak smile and dialed the number quickly. “Detective Lance, this is Felicity Smoak.” She could have been imagining things, but it seemed as if Oliver stiffened when she said the detective’s name.

“Yes, Ms. Smoak, thank you for calling me back so quickly. I’m calling to inform you that Cooper Seldon is dead. He hung himself in his prison cell earlier today.”

Felicity froze with the phone in hand. “Ms. Smoak? Are you there? As his victim, it was my duty to inform you.”

“Did he…did he leave a note or anything?”

“Yes, he left a letter for your daughter. Unfortunately, the prison investigators had to open it so they can make notes in the report, as to motive. But once they are done with it, I will make sure it gets in your hands so you can tuck it away to give it to her someday…or not, if that is what you feel is best.”

Felicity let out a gasping sob. She had been trying to hold it in for the entire call, but it was just too much. She barely registered Oliver giving comforting words to the kids, who were worried because she was crying. She felt Oliver’s spare hand in hers, and she drew the strength she needed from him. She thanked the detective, then hung up the phone. She continued to cry for a minute before wiping her tears away.

“I’ll tell you later, after bedtime,” she answered Oliver’s questioning eyes. She turned around with a plastered smile on her face and asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was. Lizzie hesitated for a moment, trying to see if her mother was really okay, but she joined in William’s happy chatter about the band of pirates they had seen.

Felicity sighed in relief, and Oliver squeezed her hand. Tonight, she would tell him about Cooper and everything that had happened. She just hoped that he wouldn’t go running in the other direction.

***

For the whole ride home, Oliver kept stealing looks at Felicity. He had only overhead bits and pieces of her conversation with Detective Lance, but he surmised that someone important to her past was dead.

By the time they arrived at his apartment, the two munchkins in the back seat were sound asleep. They each picked up a kid and carried them to the beds. Lizzie woke up enough to demand a goodnight song from her mother, and Oliver couldn’t help but smile when she sang a very old song – “Bushel and a Peck.” The little girl sang along, and then Felicity gave her a kiss and said good night. William, on the other hand, slept like the dead and didn’t even notice he was no longer in the car.

A numb Felicity walked into the kitchen and grabbed a carton of ice cream out of the freezer and a spoon. Oliver lifted his eyebrow at her and she pointed the spoon at him. “Don’t judge me.” He just laughed at her and grabbed a spoon for himself, sharing her snack.

Felicity savored a bite in her mouth, staring at him. Then she turned and walked, carton and spoon in hand to the living room. Oliver followed behind her. He believed she was ready to tell her about the past, but he didn’t want to push her.

She sat down cross legged on the couch, waiting for him to sit next to her. “I created something that could destroy the world.” She blurted out, and he froze in surprise. Of all the things that could have come out of her mouth – that was definitely not what he expected.

“What?”

“Well, not, like blow up the planet, but more like society as we know it. Phones, internet, banking, you name it. It started as a hacking code in college – just to do some small hactivism stuff with my boyfriend Cooper, like dig up dirt to expose crooked politicians and shady businessmen. By the time I realized what it could do…let’s just say that there were people interested when they saw my footprint on the dark web. The code I created can hack into any system – government, education, banking. As soon as people started pointing out all that it could do, I pulled all trace of it off the net.”

She took a breath and another bite of ice cream. She wasn’t even looking at Oliver, just rambling out her story. Felicity explained that she set up the code so that it would require a passkey that only she knew – she didn’t write it down on paper or anything.

“So try as they might – no one could access it without me.”

Shortly after that, she had gotten pregnant with Lizzie, and had been surprised when Cooper proposed marriage to her.

“I mean, I loved him. But we had really only been dating for a few months, and I didn’t know if I wanted forever with him. Still, I was young and scared, and we could live in inexpensive married housing at MIT and I said yes.”

After Lizzie was born – named after the main character of Pride and Prejudice Felicity told Oliver with a smile – things continued to go well. Cooper was sweet and kind and she had no reason to believe things wouldn’t always be that way, until she found him trying to break her code one night.

“He had been working on it the entire time. Turns out part of the reason he had insisted on getting married so quickly was that he could have access to my stuff all the time without me realizing. He was shopping it out to the highest bidder.”

Apparently, a lot of people were interested, Felicity told Oliver. Government agencies of course, but the ones that offered higher prices were of the criminal element.

“And then I did what was probably the biggest mistake of my life – I told him about the pass code that I had in my head. And knowing who he was shopping the code out to, I wasn’t going to give it to him,” Felicity gave a big sigh before continuing. “After trying to get the information out of me nicely, he became not so nice.”

Oliver sat up straighter at this and clenched his hands into fists. “Did he hurt you?” She didn’t answer at first, her eyes were on her hands. “Felicity?”

Finally, she nodded, still not meeting his eyes. “I made myself endure it until graduation, because I wanted to have my degree to support my daughter. Stupid, I know, but that was the goal I set for myself. I held strong and never told him the code, no matter what he did to me.”

Felicity started to cry again and he pulled her into his arms. She didn’t elaborate on the details of what he did, and Oliver was pretty sure he didn’t want to know them. Right now, he just wanted to go to his gym and take out his rage at Cooper on a punching bag.

“Mommy, are you OK?” They heard from the living room door. Felicity immediately sat up and tried unsuccessfully to wipe tears from her eyes. “Daddy didn’t come back, did he?”

Oliver’s heart broke at the words. Little girls shouldn’t have to be afraid of their fathers. “No baby, he’s never coming back,” Felicity said, still crying, as Lizzie climbed into her lap.

“They why are you crying, Momma?”

“Just telling Oliver some sad stories.”

“How come Oliver isn’t crying?”

Oliver stood up and scooped the girl into his arms. “Oh, I totally cried. I’m just a faster crier than your mom. I’ve got a trophy around here for fastest crying in the world.”

Lizzie giggled. “That’s not true.”

“Are you sure? Because I’m pretty sure it’s here somewhere.”

“I’m going to look tomorrow – and if it’s nowhere what will you give me?”

“How about ice cream?”

“Deal.” She apparently sealed all her business deals with a bear hug, and Oliver wasn’t one to walk away from one of those.

Oliver was relieved to see the girl smile, her worries from a moment ago vanished. He gave Felicity a wink over Lizzie’s shoulder. She gave him a grateful smile. “You stay here and finish your SUPER slow cry, Felicity. I’m going to tuck this monkey back into bed.”

He carried Lizzie to the guest room and tucked her in. “I like you, Oliver. I’m glad you are friends with Mommy.”

“I’m glad too, Lizzie.”

“I used to be ‘fraid of grown-ups. Grown-up boys, not grown-up girls. But I’m not ‘fraid of you. You are nice. And you don’t make me scared; you make me safe.”

Oliver didn’t know what to say to that, he inwardly vowed to never break the little girl’s trust she had given him and to protect her with every fiber of his being. The Smoak women had wormed their way into his heart and they were not leaving. He opened his mouth to say…something, but Lizzie being Felicity’s daughter, kept talking.

“And you make Mamma smile. And she never used to smile much. Her smiling makes me so happy.”

“She makes me smile too, and so do you and William.”

Lizzie face took on a serious expression.

“My daddy was a bad man. I thought all daddies were like that until I met you. He used to yell at my mommy and hurt her. He tried to hurt me with a knife at my neck…until mommy cut herself and there was blood everywhere.”

Oliver froze at the young girl’s words. He had known things were bad, but he had never even fathomed it could have been that.

“That sounds very scary. I’m so sorry that happened to you, princess,” he said, pulling the girl back into his arms again.

“It’s okay, mommy saved me. And you are here now too.”

“Yep, if I know your mommy, she will always be there to save you, and I’m never going to let anything happen to you either.”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Folly Ollie.”

“Always, Dizzy Lizzie.”

Oliver tucked her in and gently closed the door behind him. He was surprised to see William standing in the doorway to his room. Apparently, both kids would need multiple tuck-ins today. “What are you doing up, buddy?”

“I heard you and Lizzie talking.”

“What you heard was probably pretty scary, huh?” He picked William up and put him on his shoulders to carry him back to bed.

“Yeah…I’m so glad Lizzie and Felicity are safe now.”

“Me too, Wills, me too.”

Oliver put his son in the bed and pulled the covers up, making sure to also tuck in his two favorite stuffed animals. He noticed the wooden sword from earlier today sticking out from underneath the pillow and smiled.

“Daddy? You love Felicity and Lizzie, right?”

“Of course, buddy.” That blurted out of Oliver’s mouth so quickly it took him a minute to process. But once he did, he realized it was true. He did love them both. They were family.

“Can we keep them?”

“What?”

“Since Lizzie has a bad daddy…do you think that maybe you could be her daddy too? Then she would have a nice daddy like me. And on the days that I’m with mommy, you won’t be lonely. And Lizzie says that her mom was sad and lonely a lot until she was your friend.”

The sincere look in William’s eyes melted Oliver’s heart. “You are so sweet, buddy to think of that. Maybe someday, okay? Right now, I’m still learning to be your daddy.”

William seemed satisfied at his answer, but still added: “You don’t have to worry about loving me enough and loving them too, Daddy. Auntie Thea explained to me about hearts.”

“What about hearts?”

“Well, I was worried about loving mommy and loving you too and how it made me feel bad sometime, like I had to choose. But auntie told me that kind people have the biggest hearts…with room in them to love lots of different people. And there’s always room for more. She told me to be a kind boy and it would be no problem. But she said I done so good in the past that my heart already grew lots.”

Oliver sent a silent prayer of thanks for his sister Thea dealing with such a tough issue for his son.

“Auntie Thea is right. You never need worry about choosing between your mom and me. We both love you.”

“And you have room to love Lizzie and Felicity too. And I can love them too, on a count of my big giant heart.”

William knocked on his chest and Oliver chuckled. “Well, you better get some rest so that big old ticker doesn’t have to work so hard to keep you going tomorrow.” He gave his son a kiss. “Love you, buddy.”

“Love you too, Daddy.” Oliver would never get tired of hearing that.

He left his son’s room, relieved to have both children finally settled. He worried about leaving Felicity so long in her emotional state. Oliver would never have suspected that the broken man who arrived home from Afghanistan would eventually be a person who soothed the broken hearts of others. It was a new feeling, and he didn’t know what to think of it.

When he got to the living room, he found Felicity was curled up in a ball, sound asleep.

Unable to resist, he stretched out on the couch and pulled the sleeping blonde into his arms. She sighed and burrowed her head further into his chest, still sleeping. Oliver sighed. Yep, he loved Felicity Smoak. And although he didn’t want to admit it to anyone yet, he was well on his way to being IN love with her too. But that information was tucked away in his “big giant heart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal note: Bushel and a Peck is one of the songs I sing to my kiddos at bedtime, and my grandma used to sing it to me. 
> 
> Sorry for all the feels today - but I know your big old hearts can take it. :)


	5. The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The custody trial between Samantha and Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all - a bit of departure in this chapter. The kids are not in it because it is mostly the custody trial. I hope you enjoy, as this is my first courtroom situation I've written.

Oliver paced anxiously in the courthouse corridor. He and his lawyer had prepared for this day, but now that that the custody fight was here, he was filled with a sense of dread. What if he lost and never got to see his son again? He had just become part of his life, he couldn’t bear to lose William now. And he shuddered to think his son having to go through the loss of him, Felicity and Lizzie. Maybe he should have given into Samantha’s demands from the beginning and not fought for custody.

When he first found out about his son, she had told him he could visit, as long he as he didn’t tell William or anyone else that he was his father. She wanted to maintain tight control over everything. Having just lost his father, he could not bear his son not knowing about him. He had immediately contacted his lawyer.

But had that all been a mistake? A panic attack threatened, and Oliver tried to employ the breathing techniques his therapist had taught him. He heard the ding of the elevator door and suddenly, his breathing evened out because his sunshine stood there. Felicity seemed to assess his situation, because she walked quickly to his side and placed her hands on his cheeks.

“Hey there – how are you doing?” She read his face and pulled him into an embrace. “It’s going to be fine, Oliver. You’re doing the right thing.”

How she had ascertained what was going on inside his head, he did not know, and he didn’t have time to figure it out because the elevator dinged again and his mother and sister walked out. He stepped out of Felicity’s embrace to greet them, holding onto her hand.

Moira and Thea greeted them – his mother eyeing their joined fingers with a smile. Felicity’s eyes widened at this and she tried to pull away, but Oliver held her firm. He needed a connection with her to get through this day.

Soon the courtroom opened and they all took their seats. His best friend from the Army, John Diggle and his wife Lyla sat on his side of the gallery. They were going to testify as character witnesses on his behalf. Oliver didn’t have a lot of people on his side, but just having the Diggles there gave him confidence. They knew the man that he was after his time in the military, and not Ollie the playboy. Moira and Thea Queen sat beside them.

The judge opted to let Samantha’s side present its case first, which meant she was first up to testify. She told the court about how Oliver and her first hooked up after a drunken night at the bar.

“He was seeing someone else at the time,” she spat, glaring at Oliver’s table. Oliver looked down in shame, but Felicity gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “And they broke up when she found out that he cheated, so we dated for a while. And then he dumped me to get back together with her.”

Oliver exchanged a glance with his attorney, who just rolled her eyes at Samantha’s anger. Her expression may have seemed unprofessional to others in the courtroom, but Oliver had to hold in a laugh.

Samantha testified that shortly after she had become pregnant, she told Oliver. And the next day his mother paid her to stay away.

“I knew then what kind of family Oliver was from and I didn’t want my baby to be any part of it,” Samantha said. “I still don’t.”

She also shared about how Oliver had demanded time with his son when he found out, rather than following her “very generous” plan of spending time with him without William knowing about the relationship. Samantha testified about Oliver’s first few weeks of fatherhood when he had William on weekends and had made a few mistakes, including the skinned knee from the park.

She looked satisfied with herself when her attorney was done with the questions. But now it was Oliver’s lawyer’s turn.

“Ms. Clayton, tell me, when you told Oliver about the pregnancy – what was his reaction?”

She answered that he was panicked, but he promised to be supportive and there for the child.

“So did he give you any indication in that conversation that he did not want to be part of his child’s life?”

Samantha shook her head. “No, other than the deer in the headlights look in his eyes. I could tell he wasn’t ready to be a parent.”

“And how did you feel when you first found out you were pregnant? Scared?”

“Yes, but…”

“So you were scared and you became a parent, but Oliver was scared and that meant he couldn’t handle it?”

Samantha’s eyes flashed angrily. “Well, his mother said he wasn’t ready.”

“But Oliver, who was a fully grown adult at the time, said no such thing – correct?”

Samantha gritted her teeth. “Correct.”

Oliver covered his mouth to hide his grin. His lawyer was doing an amazing job and for the first time all day, he had hope. He turned to Felicity and she gave him a smile too. He was glad he insisted on her sitting at his table with him, rather than with the rest of the spectators. It made him feel like they were a team.

“Now, Ms. Clayton,” his lawyer continued. “Did you just disappear after Mrs. Queen told you to walk away, or did you talk to Oliver again?”

Samantha confessed that she had spoken to Oliver before she left town, and to stop his prying questions about the pregnancy, she had told him that it had ended in miscarriage.

“So you lied to him and told him that his baby was dead, and then proceeded to leave town and have said baby while never letting him know?”

“Yes,” Samantha said angrily.

“Your honor, let the record reflect that Oliver Queen never had the opportunity to spend time with his son or even know he was a father. He went away to fight for our country without even knowing that he had a child to come home to.”

Oliver started shaking at his attorney’s words. She was right – he would probably have had a different perspective during his deployment if he had known about his son. It would have influenced the decisions he made, and he would not have signed up for as many tours of duty. He would have asked for an honorable discharge earlier.

Felicity reached over and started rubbing circles on his back to calm him. He softened at her touch.

“One more question, Ms. Clayton. This check that Mrs. Queen gave you to lie to her son – did you cash it?”

“Yes, I used it to buy a house in Central City for me and my son,” Samantha said.

“Do you think that if Oliver had known about his son, he still would have had a roof over his head?”

“Yes, probably.”

“So, this really came down to you not wanting Oliver Queen in his life?”

Samantha was silent for a moment.

“He wasn’t a nice guy to me and his mother tried to buy me off. So no, that’s not the culture I wanted my son to grow up in.”

“But unfortunately, it wasn’t your right alone to make that decision,” Oliver’s attorney said. Samantha’s mouth tightened into a straight line, and Oliver almost felt sorry for her.

He knew from personal experience that his mother was a force to be reckoned with. He had not been angry with Samantha for running away and having the baby elsewhere – Oliver had already gotten in a huge fight with is mother for that because she was the one responsible for that. But it was Samantha’s lie about a miscarriage and her reaction to Oliver when he wanted a relationship with his son that had made him angry.

“Your honor, I have no further questions for Ms. Clayton. But I want to submit these incident reports on all the things she alleged about Oliver’s parenting. They are signed by witnesses. Ms. Clayton’s attorneys also received copies.”

The judge accepted the evidence and Samantha stepped down from the stand, glaring at Oliver. His attorney also requested that several of Samantha’s witnesses be excluded.

“She has ten women here who had sexual relationships with Oliver Queen, whether one night stands or for short periods of dating. I fail to see how his sex life five years ago is relevant to establishing custodial rights today.”

“Your honor, it goes to establish character. How many women would be in and out of William’s life. What the boy would be exposed to,” Samantha’s counsel contended, but Oliver’s lawyer stood her ground.

“Maybe, if you want to establish his character from five years ago. Ms. Clayton’s team has no evidence whatsoever that he still has this relationship pattern today. No romantic interests from present day.”

“I tend to agree that this would be a waste of the court’s time,” the judge said. Yes! Oliver did an internal fist pump. Another victory for Team Queen. “Do you have any other relevant witnesses to call?”

“We wish to call a police officer who had interactions with Mr. Queen in the past, and arrested him a few times.”

“Again, your honor, this is from the past,” Oliver’s attorney objected.

The judge studied both lawyers before making a decision. “If Mr. Queen has a criminal record, I am interested in hearing about it.”

Both lawyers retreated to their tables.

Samantha’s attorney called Detective Quentin Lance to the stand. He heard Felicity gasp because it was the same detective she had talked to about Cooper’s death. Oliver squeezed her hand.

Det. Lance testified about how many times he had encountered a belligerent and drunk Oliver Queen, and how he had arrested him several times. He included a tale about how Oliver had been caught peeing on his patrol car.  When Samantha’s attorney finished questioning Det. Lance, he sent a smug look in the direction of the Queen table.

“Well, that doesn’t sound very good,” Felicity said.

Oliver leaned over and winked at her. “Oh, you have no idea how interesting it’s about to get.”

Oliver’s attorney approached the detective who stiffened and sat up straighter in his seat. “Detective Lance, was the nightclub area where you frequently interacted with Mr. Queen part of your beat?”

“No, it was not.”

“And how many other drunk people coming out of the clubs in that area did you interact with? And might I remind you – I did access all your arrests records from that time period.”

“Objection, your honor…relevance?” Samantha’s attorney tried to stop the line of questioning, but Oliver’s attorney had a quick reply. “This will show prejudice on the detective’s part.”

The judge told her to proceed, and she asked once again if Det. Lance had arrested or confronted any other drunk people in that area during that time period.

“No, I don’t believe so,” the detective answered angrily.

“So, would you say that perhaps you were targeting Mr. Queen?”

“No, I don’t believe so,” the detective repeated. Oliver’s attorney raised her eyebrow at him.

“Is it true that not one, but both of your daughters have had an intimate relationship with Mr. Queen?”

“Yes, you know that’s true.”

“And you don’t believe you have a personal prejudice toward the man who dated and broke up with both your daughters?”

Det. Lance slammed his hand on the witness stand.

“He didn’t just break up with my daughters, he cheated on them, repeatedly. Not only with Ms. Clayton. There were others,” Detective Lance spat out. “He did not deserve either of them. And you know very well that he ran off with my youngest while dating my oldest.”

Samantha looked smug because some of the details of Oliver’s sordid sex life had gotten into evidence. Even the judge looked disgusted at Oliver’s actions.

Oliver’s attorney leaned toward the detective. “Would it surprise you to know that your eldest was actually also cheating on Oliver with his best friend at the time and that was the very reason he ran away with her sister?”

Like a telenovela drama – the entire courtroom gasped at this information, except Det. Lance who just scowled.

“Objection, your honor! We have no evidence and the attorney is just throwing things out there.”

“No, you’re honor, I’m the girl in question, Detective Lance’s oldest daughter.”

The courtroom gasped again. Felicity leaned over to Oliver, “I feel like I should be eating popcorn for this.” Oliver couldn’t help himself, he chuckled. “Your ex is really your attorney?” Felicity asked.

He nodded. “We’re really good friends now. Another thing Samantha probably doesn’t want people to know, that we can be mature adults.”

Samantha’s attorney stood up. “But your name on court records is Dinah Merlyn. Our records indicate the detective’s eldest daughter is Laurel Lance.”

“Well, if you had done your homework, you would have found out that I married that best friend of Oliver’s – Tommy Merlyn. And my full name was Dinah Laurel Lance, even though I go by Laurel. My attorney’s license is under Dinah Merlyn because they used my full legal name.”

Everyone in the courtroom was riveted. Laurel told the court that she was done with the prejudiced witness and Det. Lance stormed off. Since Samantha’s side was done presenting their evidence, the judge called a recess for lunch. Oliver felt as though a weight had lifted off him. Things were going VERY well. Felicity stood up and gave him a big hug.

“See, I told you that you had nothing to worry about. You are a good man, and everyone here on your side is excited for the judge to hear about that,” Felicity told him.

“And after what just happened, it will just be icing on the cake,” Laurel interjected. “I’m Laurel, by the way. Oliver’s talked so much about you, Felicity, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. I probably would be intimidated to meet an ex of Oliver’s, but you kicked so much butt in there that I’m in awe. Not that I should be nervous about meeting an ex of Oliver’s because we…I mean he and I are not dating or anything. That is to say we are just friends.”

Laurel grinned at Felicity’s babble. “I hope you don’t ever kick Oliver to the curb – I like you.”

“Mrs. Merlyn?” Samantha’s attorney approached their table. “Do you think I could meet with you in one of the conference rooms? I think Ms. Clayton may be open to making a deal.”

Oliver was shocked, but Laurel just smiled as if she had been expecting this. She turned to them. “You guys go grab something to eat. I will call you if this deal is something worth considering. And it better be, or we are going to present our side.”

Oliver grabbed Felicity’s hand again and they went down to the small café that was right next to the courthouse. All the friends who were on their side came to eat with them. As Digg was engrossing everyone at the table with stories about their antics in the military. Oliver felt very grateful for the people that were around the table. When he was a young adult, he had felt alone in the world, despite being surrounded by people.

Now he had a better relationship than ever with his mother (who he had eventually forgiven for paying Samantha off) and his sister. It was amazing what happened when you actually took the time to communicate with the people in your life.

John and Lyla were a constant presence. They had encouraged him right away to seek help when he came home from overseas, and he and John were in a support group together.

Tommy, Laurel’s husband, was there too, having slipped in after the trial started. The two of them had made up after the whole cheating incident, and Oliver admitted that his best friend and ex were actually perfect for each other.

And then there was the beautiful woman next to him – Felicity. He said a silent thank you prayer to God for the beautiful weather that day so many months ago that had inspired both of them to take their kids to the park.

Oliver’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he answered when it he saw it was Laurel.

“Ollie – they are offering everything you requested and more. It seems that we really rattled them in court this morning. Since they just moved to Starling City for Samantha’s job – you have complete joint custody. You can either do every other day, half weeks or every other week – you two need to figure that out together and we can get it in writing. You have a say in parenting decisions. No child support since you are splitting equally and she already got that huge settlement from Moira. Although I did tell Samantha that you still wanted to set William up with a trust fund.”

Oliver exhaled the breath that he had been holding.

“So, we don’t have to go back into court?”

“Nope, once you give the approval, we just have to let the judge know that the settlement is coming.”

“Thank God…and thank you, Laurel.”

“Anytime, Ollie, I mean it. I’m going to let them know you approve and then you can meet me in the conference room so we can work out the details about the schedule.”

After he hung up with Laurel, he told his friends and family the news and they all cheered loudly. They celebrated with an ice cream sundae. Oliver gave Felicity a big bear hug before she got into her car to head home. She was going to pick up Lizzie from her moms and then the two would meet him after the settlement conference for shopping.

They had a plan to surprise William by redecorating his room now that it was no longer a temporary space for him. It would be one of his homes.

After he finished with Samantha – they had settled on half weeks for now, with trade off days on Sundays and Wednesdays (or Thursdays every other week) – he skipped down the courthouse steps, his heart lighter than it had been in weeks. His phone rang and he answered it without looking, thinking it was Felicity worried about him. His conference had taken longer than expected. He was surprised to hear Donna’s worried voice on the other end.

“Oliver, have you seen Felicity? She was supposed to pick up Lizzie hours ago and hasn’t arrived yet,” Donna said.

Oliver froze on the sidewalk.

“She left about two hours ago, heading straight for you. Did you try her phone?”

“Do you think I would be calling you if I hadn’t? It goes straight to voicemail and she hasn’t answered any texts. Felicity is always with her phone. Oliver, do you think something may have happened to her?”

Oliver’s heart stopped in his chest. He promised Donna that he would find her. After he hung up, he dialed a number he never thought he would.

“Detective Lance? Oliver Queen. Yeah, I know I’m the last person you want to talk to, but I need your help. Felicity Smoak is missing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Samantha got her comeuppance a bit there, eh? I still haven't finished chapter 6 yet, but I'm hoping to soon and will try to post it Tuesday. Only two or three more chapters of this fic left! The kids will be back in the next chapter. I missed them!


	6. Where is Felicity?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and family deal with the fact that Felicity is missing. Meanwhile, she has some big decisions to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I am simply blown away by all the great comments this story has been getting. They all made me smile so much. 
> 
> Sorry for the unexpected angst at the end of the last chapter. I PROMISE this story will end with so much fluff that your teeth will rot. We just have to get there first. Hang in there, gang. :)

Oliver paced the narrow hallway of his home, clenching his fists. It had been several hours since he had reported Felicity missing to Detective Lance, and there was still no news. They had found her car abandoned about a mile from the courthouse – but no other leads since then.

William and Lizzie were in the kitchen eating dinner. Donna had come over too, saying that they needed to stick together as a family right now. Although she kept up her chipper attitude around the kids, Oliver could see the worry in her eyes. The two of them were taking turns spending time with the kids while the other one went in another room to freak out. The system had worked out well.

Lizzie and William knew that Felicity was missing, but the calm façade the adults were portraying eased a lot of their worry. Diggle, Tommy, Laurel, Moira and Thea were in the living room, talking in hushed tones, trying to figure out how they could help. He had no idea where Lyla had gone. The dinner that Laurel had brought had done a little to lift spirits.

Where the hell was Felicity? She had gone through enough in her life without another trauma. Oliver prayed that she was not hurt or injured and that the police would find her before anything bad happened. The police had not ruled it as such – but Oliver knew deep down in his gut that she had been taken by someone. And it had probably something to do with the code she created that could hack any system.

The worst part for Oliver, besides the one person who could calm him down in a crisis being missing, was that he couldn’t do anything to help her. All his years in the Army Rangers. All his training. Useless to save the woman he lov…cared about. No, loved. It was definitely love. He slammed his fist into the wall. He had to get Felicity back – but how?

“Oliver?”

He turned to see Lizzie standing in the hallway, her glass unicorn that he bought her at the Renaissance Festival clutched in her hand. Oliver stooped down on his knees so he was eye level with the little girl.

“What is it, Lizzie?”

“When is my mommy coming home?” Oliver felt his heart breaking into a million different places, but he struggled to not let it reflect on his face. “Soon, baby girl, soon. We are going to find her.”

Lizzie buried her head into Oliver’s shoulder and started crying, and he rubbed calming circles on back, the same way Felicity had done for him during the custody trial. It must be something she did for her daughter too, because soon the small girl relaxed his arms.

“What do you have here?” he asked, pointing to the unicorn in her hand.

“My pretty, from the fair. When we got it, we were all together, and if I wish hard enough, the unicorn’s magic with bring us all together again.”

Oliver smiled at the girl. “You keep wishing, Dizzy Lizzie, and I will try my hardest to make that wish come true.”

The girl gave him a teary smile, but then she thought of something that filled her eyes with terror.

“But what if the bad daddy comes again?” Oliver hugged the girl tighter. He knew Cooper was dead, but the legacy of that man in their lives could very well be what was causing them pain now.

“He won’t ever come near you again, that I promise.”

Oliver rushed to the front door when he heard knocking and yanked it open to reveal a very stressed-looking Detective Lance.

“Oliver.”

“Did you find her? Did you find anything?” Oliver demanded, barely letting the man get in the door. Lance’s eyes shifted nervously toward the kids, who were looking at the detective with wide eyes.

“Can we take this in the other room?” He asked Oliver, whose heart sank. If Lance didn’t want to talk about it in front of the children, it probably wasn’t great news. Laurel came in to sit with Lizzie and William, while Donna and Oliver nervously followed the detective into the living room.

“Guys, I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news,” Lance said. Oliver’s stomach revolted and he had to sit down. Something terrible had happened to Felicity. Had he lost her forever? He didn’t even get a chance to tell her how he felt about her.

Lance shifted nervously on his feet and looked almost…guilty. “I just got word from my captain. Unfortunately, the search for Miss Smoak has been called off.”

“What? Did they find my baby? Did something happen to her?”

“I’m very sorry, Mrs. Smoak, but I have no idea. Apparently, my boss got a call from some government big wigs way above our paygrades – Federal level. Told us that our investigation was no longer needed and they were ‘taking care’ of the Felicity Smoak situation. Captain checked out their clearance, and they are legit.”

“Why would the Federal government be interested in Felicity’s case?” Donna asked. “Did they give you a contact number of who we can reach out to for updates?”

Lance just shook his head no. Oliver slammed his fist on the coffee table, everyone looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t lost his temper like that in a while.

“Detective, _please,_ is there anything you can do to help us,” Oliver begged. Lance stared at him for a moment, taking in the sadness in the young man’s eyes paired with the tension in his shoulders.

“You really love her, don’t you, Queen?” Lance, asked in surprise. Oliver nodded, and Thea rushed over to give him a hug.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Ollie,” she said.

Lance surveyed the scene and sighed. “I don’t have anything to go on now, but I will keep my ear to the ground at the station and if I can get you a contact, I will.”

Donna thanked the man and saw him out. Oliver’s friends were all looking at him in sorrow. Nope, they were not going to be sad. Felicity was still alive, as far as they knew, and they were not giving up.

“Right – if the police aren’t going to be any help to us, we are just going to find her ourselves,” he told his family. One by one they nodded in agreement.

“John, can you reach out to our contacts in the military and see if there is any information circulating that might be of use?”

John nodded and started to make calls. Oliver turned to his best friend.

“Tommy – do you remember that private eye your dad hired last year to track down those scammers that tried to hustle you? Do you think you could give him a call and see if he can find out anything?”

Tommy went into the other room to make the call. Moira and Thea were going over his mother’s contact list to see if there was anyone who could help in the search.

After he hung up with one of their army friends, Diggle’s phone rang. “Hey Lyla – where the hell are you? Felicity is missing and we could really use your help! Can ARGUS…What? Oh my God, Lyla, why didn’t you…yeah, he’s right here.”

Digg reached out to hand the phone to Oliver. Confused, Oliver grabbed the phone and greeted who he expected to be Lyla – but was shocked at the voice he heard on the other line.

“Oliver?”

“Oh my God! Felicity! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you?”

“Oliver, I’m fine for now – and I’m not really able to answer any questions. But I do need a favor from you.” Oliver could hear the tension in her voice and knew that she wasn’t really fine.

“Anything, what do you need? When are you coming home?”

“Soon, hopefully, if I can…” Felicity cut off with an intake of her breath. He heard angrily whispering voices on the other side of the line. “Um, I can’t really talk anymore. But can you go to my apartment and get my laptop from my desk and my red flash drive from the top, middle drawer? I will text you the address.”

“Whatever you need, baby, I will get for you,” he said, and they both ignored the term of endearment he had slipped in. It was a crisis situation, after all.

“Thank you, and Oliver, please hurry.”

And with that, the phone call cut off. He shouted her name into the phone several times, not wanting to acknowledge that she was no longer there. Oliver grabbed his keys and ran out the door, shouting to Donna to watch the kids.

He raced to Felicity’s apartment to get her laptop as quickly as possible – he had no idea how much time his girl had, but the urgency in her voice made him nervous.

 

***

_Two hours earlier_

Felicity had thought being under arrest would look a lot different than this. Jail cell, moldy bread, one phone call to the outside world. But nope, she was sitting in a safehouse watching daytime television eating the most delicious pizza she had ever eaten. If she was ever released, she would definitely have to get this place’s number.

 A group of government agents yanked her out of her car earlier today and brought her here. And nobody had spoken to her since. Felicity knew that Lizzie was safe with her mother, but Donna and Oliver were probably very worried by now. She wished she had some way to contact them – and any fracking idea why she was here.

As soon as that thought entered her head, the door to the safehouse opened and a stern looking woman entered, followed by a familiar face.

“Lyla? What are you doing here? And more importantly, what am I doing here?”

Lyla Diggle had a guilty expression on her face. “I’m so sorry about this, Felicity. If I had any idea…”

“You would have done your duty like the dedicated agent you are,” the stern looking woman said. “I’m Amanda Waller, head of ARGUS, the government agency that has you in custody.”

Felicity had never heard of them, and told the woman so.

“We are mostly off-books,” she said.

“Why am I here?”

“A month ago, we had a conversation with a young man named Cooper Seldon.” Felicity froze at Waller’s words. Cooper had been dead for not even a week – but he was already back to screwing with her life.

“So, you spoke with my now-deceased ex-husband. What do you want with me?” Felicity was stalling for time. She knew what they wanted. The key to the code.

“Don’t play games with me, you know exactly what we want,” Waller snarled. “That idiot man gave us the entire code, hoping to get pardoned, and did not clue us into the fact that there was a key at first. Of course, when he revealed that he could not give it to us, the deal was off the table.”

Felicity clenched her fist in anger. She had no love for Cooper, but she was 100 percent sure that the deal he had almost gotten and lost was what put him over the top to commit suicide. Someday she would have to explain all of this to her daughter. How something she had created had caused her father to go mad and make the worst choices.

“Miss Smoak, we want you to give us the key to the code,” Waller said.

“I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t give it anyone, and that includes you. No matter how many agents with ninja moves you send my way.” Felicity sent a silent prayer that Oliver would keep her daughter safe, whatever happened to her.

Waller leaned forward and narrowed her eyes.

“Felicity, we are the good guys, but you more than anyone know that there are other people out there that are much worse that could do terrible things with that code,” the ARGUS director said. “We have a file on you and your ex, and we know the type of people he was working with.”

Felicity signed and leaned back in her seat, just wanting all of this to be over. “Well, if you read my file, you know exactly what I’m capable of to keep this code out of anyone’s hands.”

Waller also sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. She raised an eyebrow at Felicity.

“Okay, then, I call your bluff. Go ahead and remove yourself from the equation. Then I would know once and for all that the code is out of play.”

Felicity studied the woman for a moment to see if she was serious. “You really don’t want the virus for yourselves?”

“No, we just want to make sure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.” Waller’s face remained stoic, and Felicity could not tell if the woman was telling the truth or not. “I’m going to give you 24 hours Miss Smoak, to hand over the key of your own volition. After that, you will not like my extraction methods. Agent Diggle here will give you whatever you need to get the code.”

At that, she and the other agents left the house, leaving Felicity alone with Lyla.

“What the hell, Lyla? I was literally sharing an ice cream sundae with you a couple of hours ago and now you are a secret agent holding me captive?”

Lyla sat down next to Felicity. “Felicity, I swear to God, I had no idea this was happening. If so, I would have warned you, or at least asked you politely to come in rather than yanking you off the street like a criminal.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess.” Felicity couldn’t decide if she forgave Lyla nor not, but she needed all the friendly faces she could get in this situation. “So, is your boss telling the truth about not wanting to use the code, only to prevent others from kidnapping me and trying to take it?”

Lyla was quiet for a moment.

“Waller is a hard read sometimes. I mean, that probably is her intent here. But if I’m being honest, if a dire enough situation arose, she wouldn’t hesitate to use the code to get the upper hand.”

Felicity nodded at Lyla’s words. “Waller was right about one thing – this will never be over as long as the code exists and I have the key to it in my brain. People will keep coming for me, and my family will never be safe.”

“So, you’re going to give the key to her?”

Felicity sighed. “I don’t think I can do that, Lyla.”

Lyla grabbed Felicity’s hand. “You’re not going to…”

“Kill myself? Absolutely not! I have too much to live for and I’m not letting my daughter have two parents who chose that path. No, I think I have another idea and I might need your help.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because I may have a way to make sure no one can ever use the virus, but if Waller really just wants it for herself, she may be a little angry.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“I need my gear…can I call Oliver?”

Lyla hesitated, but pulled out her phone and made the call.

***

About an hour later, Oliver stood outside the door to the house at the address Felicity had given him. He was nervous about what he would find inside, but more than anything he was just anxious to see her. If whoever was holding her would let him.

He subconsciously rubbed his hand where he had concealed his gun in case he needed it to get her out of there, and knocked on the door. Lyla opened the door and Oliver fought back the urge to yell at her. She raised an eyebrow at his restraint and looked toward the car parked toward the street to see if anyone came with him. But it was empty.

“On a scale of one to ten, how mad my husband at me right now?”

“I don’t know Lyla, I didn’t have time for a heart to heart. I hurried out of there to get to Felicity.” Lyla at least had the decency to look guilty. “Where is she?”

“I’m right here,” a shaky voice said behind Lyla and there she was – Felicity Smoak. And she was standing there looking at him with such relief and trust that he almost dropped her laptop to grab her and pull her in his arms and out of there. But he knew she probably wouldn’t forgive him for ruining any of her tech.

Felicity, however, had similar ideas, and ran to him in such desperation, he barely had time to register as she grabbed the laptop bag off of his shoulder and set it on the ground. She leaped into his arms, her legs wrapped around him and she kissed him.

Maybe it was the terror of the situation, maybe it was stress – Oliver did not care. He just kissed her back, with all the passion he had been holding in for months. It felt exciting and new, but strangely also like coming home They were lost in the moment, absorbed in each other when they heard a throat clearing behind them. Lyla Diggle was seriously his least favorite person right now.

Felicity pulled back and smiled at him. “Hi.” She took his breath away.

“Hi,” he grinned back, but then his face sobered. “Felicity, I lo…” He was silenced by her hand on his mouth.

“Talk later, we have to focus now.”

“Focus on what?”

His beautiful ray of sunshine beamed at him.

“I’m going to save the fracking day!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it - Cooper is really dead (ha - I know everyone was expecting him back so I went in the opposite direction) and Felicity is going to save HERSELF. And the world, of course. Because she is Felicity Fracking Smoak! :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! New update probably on Saturday.


	7. Saving the Fracking Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity finds a solution to her super code problem, and she and Oliver start discussing being more than friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's I'm a day late on this update! I hope you enjoy it!

“I’m not leaving you here,” Oliver yelled. He and Felicity’s voices had gotten incrementally louder over the past few minutes after she had explained her plan.

“Oliver, I only have about 22 hours left to do what I need to do and I need to focus on that and I can’t exactly focus if I don’t know that the kids are safe.”

“Felicity, you don’t know how Waller is going to react when she learns what you have done. If she is anything like you said – she may torture you, or worse, even kill you to get what she wants. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

Oliver and Felicity stood eye to eye, neither giving in.

“Will the two of you either go in the bedroom for a quickie or focus on the issue at hand? We have a deadline here,” Lyla interjected.

When neither backed down, she sighed.

“You may not trust me very much right now, but would you say you trust Johnny to keep your kids safe?”

Both nodded – they knew Diggle would protect the children with his life if needed. Finally, Felicity said Oliver could stay if he didn’t get in the way and John would stay with the kids. He gave his best friend a call, and then settled in to watch the love of his life work.

Despite the stress of the situation, Oliver several hours later was sitting on the couch with the world’s biggest grin on his face.

“Will you stop with the dimples over there? I’m trying to concentrate.” Felicity scowled at him over the top of her laptop.

“I’m sorry, but seeing focused-Felicity for the first time is kind of awesome.”

She scowled at him.

“You’ve seen me at Queen Consolidated.”

Oliver shook his head at her words.

“Yeah, but that was professional-focused. This is a whole new level. You’ve had like 20 cups of coffee. Your hair is slipping out of your ponytail. You’ve been biting your lip for the past hour. It’s absolutely adorable.”

Felicity rolled her eyes at him.

“I think you are still high from our kiss.”

Oliver stood up and walked over to the dining room table in the ARGUS safehouse, where Felicity had set up her own tech fortress. He leaned over and gave her a peck on the forehead. “It was a great kiss.”

He smiled when Felicity blushed.

“It was…and if you want it to happen again, you better stop flirting with me so I can focus on writing this code.”

He grinned and went back to his spot on the couch. “I’ll just be over here…watching you work.”

“Hey – don’t be mad at me if you you’re bored. You are the one who insisted on staying here.”

“To keep you safe!” Oliver objected, but Felicity had already tuned him out to continue her work on her laptop.

Oliver sighed and flipped through the channels on the television. They had relatively few interruptions from Felicity’s ARGUS captors. Amanda Waller had popped in and raised a bit of a ruckus about Oliver being there, but Lyla had managed to calm the woman down for now.

Oliver’s phone pinged and he saw that John had sent him a picture of William and Lizzie eating their breakfast. He and Felicity Facetimed them at bedtime – keeping details of where they were to the minimum, but projecting positivity to ease the kids’ worries.

He walked over to show the photo to Felicity, and saw that she had dozed off at the computer. Oliver picked her up, and she protested a little in her sleepiness, but he settled her on the couch anyway.

“Sleep for an hour, at least, baby,” Oliver said, trying out the endearment and liking how it sounded. “The work will be better that way.” Like he had in the past, he rubbed her feet until she was back asleep. Soon, he was getting sleepy too, so he pulled her into him and fell asleep as well.

Oliver was awakened in a few hours to Felicity shaking him.

“Hey- sorry to wake you, but I’m almost done.”

He opened his eyes to see Felicity looking bright-eyed and excited. He had no idea how long she had slept. It probably wasn’t enough, but it would do for now. He sat up. “You’re done, already?”

“Yeah, but I need a favor from you.”

Oliver was glad to finally be useful. “Sure, anything!”

“Do you trust me?” Felicity asked.

“Of course.”

“Then give me your phone. I need some of your illustrious contacts. As CEO, you’ve probably interacted with some of the people I need for my plan B.”

Oliver had no idea what Felicity was talking about, but he handed his phone over. She spent a few minutes with it before fist pumping.

“Yes, I did it! We are all set!” She ran over and leaped into Oliver’s arms, giving him a small kiss. “It’s done, baby. And yes, I heard you call me that when you were tucking me in and I liked it.” Felicity gave him another kiss, which he smiled into.

“Oh, if you liked that – you should hear some of the other names I’ve been working on – honey, sweetie, buttercup, love muffin,” Oliver said with a wink.

“Love muffin?” Felicity giggled.

“Oh yeah.”

“You, Oliver Queen, may look like this big tough army guy, but you’re really such a teddy bear.”

“Don’t tell any of the guys,” he said, causing her to giggle again. Suddenly her face became serious.

“We’re going to be able to do this – right, Oliver?”

“You’re plan for the code? If you came up with it – I’m sure it will work,” Oliver reassured her.

“No, I meant this…us. Can we transition from friends to…more so easily?”

Oliver pulled Felicity over so that she was sitting on his lap on the couch. “Felicity, if we’re going to be honest with ourselves, we’ve been more than friends for a long time.”

Felicity nodded. “So, things will be pretty much the same as before, but with more smooching?” He grinned at her and agreed. She leaned in to give him another kiss, but Lyla interrupted them again.

“Seriously, Lyla? Why are you always breaking up our kisses?” Felicity said grumpily.

“Let’s solve this problem now and you two can make out all you want once you get home.”

Felicity huffed at this. “Are you fracking kidding me? We have two kids! This is probably the only alone time we will get for a while.”

Lyla laughed at this, but reminded them that they were on a deadline. Felicity surprised the ARGUS agent by telling her that she was done.

“I will call Waller. Are you sure you’re ready to do this? No turning back once I make that call,” Lyla warned, giving the couple one last chance to back out.

“Do it, this needs to be over,” Felicity said. “I need to be free.”

As Lyla left the room to make the call, Felicity burrowed into Oliver’s chest. He was grateful now that he convinced her to let him stay. He did not want her facing this alone.

***

Felicity repeated calming words over and over in her head when Waller slammed her fist on the table.

“What do you mean you’re not giving us the code? I gave you 24 hours. What the hell have you been doing in here this entire time?” The woman’s voice was at shouting level now, but Felicity stood her ground.

“I’ve been working on something that will allow you to disable the code should it ever get in the wrong hands. With this coding, you can disable the other one and render it ineffective within seconds,” Felicity handed Waller a flash drive. “Oh, and I also circled the information on the dark web that this solution was created. So, anyone looking to try to come after me for the original code will know that it is essentially useless now.”

Waller gripped the flash drive in her hands so tightly, Felicity thought she might break it. Oliver came and stood behind Felicity, and she was immediately filled with warmth and courage by his presence.

“This was not the deal we had – you were supposed to get me the key to that code. If it’s essentially useless, why not just give it to me?”

“Because I don’t trust you. But don’t take it personally, I don’t trust anyone with that information,” Felicity said.

“I could take it from you by force,” Waller said, and Felicity could feel Oliver tense behind her.

“Oh, you’re not going to want to do that.” Everyone in the room looked at Felicity in surprise.

“And why not?” Waller sneered, already indicating to her men to step forward. Lyla and Oliver went into what Felicity assumed were defensive positions.

“Oh, because I only really needed a few hours to come up with this code. I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner, to be honest.” Felicity was about to start a babble, so Oliver reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She took a breath and continued. “So, for the rest of my time, I spent poking around ARGUS’ servers. You guys should really beef up your security. Especially when you have someone like me in custody.”

“What did you do?” Waller was seething.

“Oh, a lot of those morally questionable missions you green lit? I have evidence of all of those. And some of the ones that are not so questionable, just bad. And it turns out as CEO – my boyf…Oliver has a ton of political contacts on his phone. Senators, congressmen, a few judges. Oh…and Queen Consolidated has military contracts so there are a few generals on there too.”

“Your point?”

“My point is that if anything happens to me, my friends or family those files get automatically sent to everyone on Oliver’s contact list. And that goes for if someone else comes after us for the code. Consider us permanently under ARGUS’ protection.”

“We have hackers of our own, we could disable whatever you set up.” Waller was grasping for straws now, and Felicity knew they had won.

“Please, your ‘hackers’ couldn’t set up a security network that kept me out for longer than 30 seconds. Do you honestly think they could penetrate any system I designed? Really, you have two options here – you could test me and see how long it takes before you are investigated and incarcerated, or you can accept my offer for the work I did to disable the super code and call it a day. Your choice.”

Waller glared at them for a minute, but she finally signaled for her men to back down. “It seems I underestimated you, Ms. Smoak.”

Felicity crossed her arms. “And you won’t be doing that again, will you?”

Waller gritted her teeth, then nodded. She turned to Lyla. “It’s safe to say that you are fired.”

Felicity opened her mouth to object, but Lyla held up her hand to stop her.

“That’s great, because I was going to quit anyway, but now that you are firing me I will get a generous severance package. It’s in my contract.”

Waller scowled again and turned on her heel to storm out of the room.

Oliver pulled Felicity into his arms. “You did it,” he whispered into her hair. She sunk into him – she had no idea how much tension she had been holding in until that moment. “Let’s go home.”

***

Everyone was surprised to see Felicity walk through the door of Oliver’s home. Lizzie rushed and jumped into her mother’s arms. Donna squeezed them both into a hug. After lots of catching up and tears, everyone started clearing out, sensing Oliver, Felicity and the kids needed time alone together.

Felicity wondered out loud if she and Lizzie should head home to their apartment, but Oliver asked her to stay. He was afraid to say what he really wanted – _stay forever_ – because he was afraid to spook her and he would settle for them just staying the night for now.

Lizzie was glued to Felicity’s side as they ate pizza and snuggled on the couch. Oliver was not surprised that William was glued to her other side. When Samantha came to pick him up, he didn’t want to leave because Felicity had just returned. Felicity promised him an extra special park day followed by two scoops of ice cream when he came back on the weekend, and the boy had finally agreed to leave her embrace. Thankfully, Samantha did not say anything about the incident.

Felicity went to tuck Lizzie into bed, and Oliver found her there an hour later, curled up next to her daughter, sound asleep. He planted a kiss on both their foreheads and went to his own bed, suddenly very exhausted. He hadn’t really slept more than a couple of hours since before the custody trial. And with the anxiety leading up to that day, he hadn’t slept much either if he was going to be honest with himself.

But, his son was now going to be a permanent part of his life and the woman he loved was safe and sound in the next room. With a sigh of relief, Oliver let himself relax into his bed. It was less than a minute before he was asleep.

He awoke well into the next morning to the sun shining through his window and the smell of coffee filling the house. Also, he heard singing. Loud, obnoxious, off-key singing. Deciding to take care of his caffeine needs first, he went to the kitchen for a cup. He passed Lizzie, coloring in the living room.

“Hey Dizzy Lizzie – where’s your mom?”

“She started working on William’s room. But the paint was too stinky for me, so I’m just drawing him some pictures to put on the wall when it’s done.” She lifted the page she was working on to show Oliver.

“Oh, that looks beautiful, sweetie! William is going to love it.”

Lizzie nodded confidently and reached for another picture.

“Oliver?” she asked hesitantly. “Can I hang this picture on the room that I sleep in here?”

“Of course you can, that would look awesome!” She looked down at her papers, hesitating again. “What is it, Lizzie?”

“When can I have paint on the walls for the room I sleep in when I’m here – like William is getting?”

Oliver’s heart melted. He wanted to tell her that she could have anything she wanted for that room, and move all her toys and clothes here too. But he had to have that conversation with Felicity first. He couldn’t promise the five-year-old they would move in, no matter how much they both wanted it.

“Let me talk to your mamma about that first, baby girl. But first, you start thinking about pain colors.”

“PINK! Pink! Definitely pink!” Lizzie shouted, and Oliver threw his head back laughing.

“Pink it is. I will talk about it with your mom, okay?” Lizzie nodded and Oliver gave her a hug before heading toward the sound of the terrible singing. He stopped in the doorway to William’s room and grinned at the sight in front of him.

Felicity was on top of the ladder, painting the trim in William’s room. Her curly hair was pulled into a messy pony tail and she was wearing one of his old shirts that came to her knees. She was singing along with the radio – and as loud and obnoxiously as she could. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

“I love you so damn much,” Oliver said, unable to keep it in any longer.

Oliver didn’t know if it was shock over his declaration, or because he startled her because Felicity turned to look at him with big eyes – before slipping off the ladder.

He moved quickly and like a hero in a rom-com, caught the girl of his dreams in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the ARGUS business has been handled, it will be all fluff from now on - I promise! Only a couple of chapters left.


	8. Is it someday yet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity move forward in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update. I had a sinus infection all week and could only sit down and write a little here and there. Any typos are due to cold medicine. ;) 
> 
> As promised, this is so fluffy and sweet you may get a toothache lol 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Felicity gasped when she fell through the air off the ladder, bracing herself for impact, but she was surprised when it never came. She landed softly in Oliver’s arms. It was just as well, he was the reason she fell in the first place.

“I’ve got you honey,” the man in question said as he placed her feet gently on the floor, but kept his arms around her.

Felicity stood there for a moment, with her nose buried in his chest. She had wanted this moment to come, and she wanted to make sure she was ready to enjoy it. She pulled back to look up into his eyes.

“You love me?”

She grinned when Oliver nodded.

“Like, LOVE love me or hey pal, I love ya,” Felicity teased. Oliver tilted his head at her, considering his options before responding.

“The first on, I think. If that one means I’m hopelessly in love with you,” he said, leaning in to give her a quick kiss.

But Felicity was not into quick kisses after romantic declarations, so she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a longer, deeper kiss to show him how she really felt. When the kiss ended, their foreheads remained together while they worked to calm their breathing.

“I love you too, Oliver.”

He cupped her cheeks. “You love me?”

She nodded. “Yep, I’m hopelessly in love with you too. And I love ya, pal!” She grinned mischievously.

“Pal huh?” Oliver asked, pushing her slowly to the unpainted side of the room and up against wall, trapping her between his arms.

“Well you are my best friend…even if it’s not so platonic anymore. There goes our plan to collect cats and snuggle platonically forever.”

Oliver laughed and then looked thoughtful. “I suppose we could still get a cat. The kids would love it. Felicity…”

He stopped himself from saying something. Felicity wished she could read minds. She knew that Oliver was afraid to push her too far because he was afraid to spook her. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. She would never be spooked – not by him. Oliver had reminded her what being safe felt like.

“Felicity, will you have dinner with me,” he finally asked.

“You mean like a date?”

“Yeah, tonight?”

“Tonight? I will have to see if my mom can watch Lizzie overnight,” Felicity said. “Yes, I said overnight.”

Oliver and grinned at her. “I like the way you think, Ms. Smoak. I’ll call your mom, you finish up what you can in here before getting ready.”

Felicity looked around the room to survey her progress. “I’m almost done for this wall. Then I will hop in the shower, because I’m starting to stink.” She sniffed her armpit and laughed.

“I’m more concerned about the paint on your nose,” Oliver told her, and she screeched before grabbing a towel and frantically wiped at it.

He laughed and gave her a peck, telling her he was off to make breakfast. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she finished painting.

***

Several hours later, the two of them sat across from each at a candlelight table in a small Italian restaurant that they had not been to before. Since the two of them had been unofficially dating for months, really that’s what their friendship was, this had been an easy transition. The two of them never ran out of things to talk about.

Oliver though at first struggled with cohesive sentences at the sight of Felicity in that red dress. She had dropped Lizzie off at Donna’s and gone back to her apartment to get ready. When she opened the door, he stood there gaping at her for a minute before he was able to tell her how beautiful she looked. That had led to a kissing session on the couch, but they had to break it off so they wouldn’t be late for their reservation.

Now that they were sharing dessert – Oliver started to get nervous. He wanted to broach the subject of her and Lizzie moving in, but didn’t know if it was the right time. Felicity knew him too well- because she asked him what was wrong.

“Lizzie asked if she could paint the room she sleeps in at my house,” Oliver finally blurted out. Felicity looked up at him in surprise.

“Oh! Um, I’m sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable. I can let her pick out some colors for her room at my…”

Oliver cut Felicity off by grabbing her hand. “Felicity, it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable at all. I wanted to say yes, but I wanted to check with you first.” He took a big breath. It was now or never. “Actually…I was wondering if you wanted to make the guest room her room…forever. I mean, at least until she’s 18 or longer if she is still finding her place in life, it’s not like we would kick her out right away.”

It was Felicity’s turn to cut him off.

“Oliver…usually I’m the one who talks like that,” Felicity laughed. “Are you asking us to move in with you?”

Oliver looked down at his plate, not wanting to see her reaction. “Yes,” he said quietly.

Felicity leaned over and grabbed his face, forcing him to look up at her. “Oliver Queen, I would love to live with you. I mean, we are already over at your house most of the week anyway. But what will people think? We literally started dating yesterday.”

“Honey, we’ve been together for months. We’re just now being honest with ourselves. And in the spirit of honesty – I want forever with you, Felicity.” Oliver felt a weight lift off his shoulder to get the words out and lay it all on the table. The eyes of the woman he loved widened in surprise, before her whole face radiated with a smile.

“I feel the same way, but let’s put a few more month’s timer on that conversation. First, we better see how we handle arguments about me leaving my clothes on the closet floor and you putting your wet towel on my side of the bed,” Felicity said with a smile. God, he loved this woman.

They stopped on the way home at the hardware store to buy a couple of gallons of pink paint – but they did not did not have home renovations on their mind when they got to Oliver’s house. The minute they walked through the door, Felicity jumped him and started kissing him. Oliver did not object, relishing in the feel of her as she wrapped her legs around his torso.

Months of sexual tension poured out of them as they made out against every wall on the way to the bedroom, shedding their clothes along the way. When they finally landed in bed together, they laid face to face, staring into each other’s eyes as they caught their breath.

“Hi,” Oliver whispered. He couldn’t believe that he finally had Felicity in his bed, naked in his arms. This was possibly the most perfect moment of his life.

“Hey,” Felicity replied. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you, more than I could ever imagine.”

There were no words after that as the two spent the rest of the night lost in each other.

***

The next morning, Felicity was once again singing and painting. She couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in the last 24 hours. Yesterday morning, she had been a friend (with the possibility of more) and today, she was painting a room in her new home while her lover (wow that word sounded weird) slept in the next room.

Although she and Oliver had made love several times during the night, she had awoken this morning with an excited energy. Everything that had troubled her in the past was over and she was ready to start anew with the family she and Oliver had built together.

A few hours later, Oliver joined her and they finished painting William’s room and moved on to Lizzie’s. She called her mom and asked if she could keep her granddaughter another night after they came up with the idea to surprise her by finishing her room and moving all her stuff over. The promised though that they would stop by Donna’s for dinner. That part of the conversation started after Donna stopped screaming with excitement over the news that Oliver and Felicity were finally together.

On the way back from dinner, they loaded up the truck they borrowed from John with Lizzie’s things. They had to wait for the paint to dry, so of course they kept themselves otherwise occupied – in their bedroom. Felicity was so glad they had these two days together alone before they had littles eyes and ears to be mindful of.

The following day, they set up the room before Donna brought Lizzie over. When the little girl opened the door to the room, her eyes grew so wide with awe and delight.

“For me?” she asked.

“Yeah, Dizzy Lizzie, I think this was what you ordered,” Oliver teased.

Lizzie’s face remained serious as she nodded. “Yes, it is perfectly pink.” She walked around the room, noticing all her toys and books. “Why is all my things here?”

Felicity dropped down and got on eye level with her daughter. “Oliver asked if we wanted to live here with him and I said yes.”

“For always?” Lizzie started to smile.

“Yep, we are not going to live at our apartment anymore, and we are going to stay here every day.” Felicity grinned when her daughter threw her arms around her for a hug. Lizzie almost loved Oliver as much as she did.

Lizzie pulled back and looked at them both. “Does this mean you guys are going to get married. Oliver are you going to be my new daddy?” She had such a hopeful look in her eyes, and Felicity turned to look at her love and he had a similar expression. Felicity knew he wanted nothing more than to be part of their lives forever.

“Someday,” Oliver and Felicity said at the same time, smiling at each other. Oliver got down on his knees too and enveloped both his girls in a hug.

***

The next several months passed quickly as the new family settled into a routine. Felicity moved all of her stuff over and sold her extra furniture off. William was pleased with his new room and the fact that Felicity and Lizzie were also permanent fixtures in his father’s home.

Felicity and William were building a computer together, but Oliver was not jealous of their time together because he used it to teach Lizzie to cook.

Oliver and Felicity did fight over the little things (it wasn’t clothes and towels like she predicted, but changing toilet paper rolls and Felicity’s attempt to cook in the kitchen). But they always tried to forgive each other by bedtime.

Lizzie didn’t their promise that they would get married and someday Oliver would be her dad. She asked at least once a week if it was “someday” yet.

Oliver still stopped by the IT department every day to take Felicity to lunch, and she had repeatedly denied his requests to speak to her boss about promoting her. She wanted to earn her way to the top. She didn’t realize she was doing just that each night when she reviewed all of the tech reports to the CEO and offered her opinion on them.

Felicity laughed at the “secret meetings” Oliver and the two kids had to plan her birthday. They woke her up with breakfast in bed (chocolate pancakes – her favorite). Felicity gushed for a long time over each other handmade cards and decorations the kids made. She was curious when the kids started to poke Oliver in the side to give her the “good present.” Finally, he pulled out a small box and handed it to her.

She opened it slowly, a bit unnerved because all three sets of eyes watching her looked nervous. Inside the small box was a business cards. She frowned when she read the job title. “Vice President of Technology and Applied Sciences? Oliver, we talked about this, you can’t…”

“No, read it all, momma,” Lizzie said with a giggle.

Felicity scanned the card again and looked up at the three, confused.

“Your name, Felicity,” Oliver said with a laugh. “Look at your name.”

Felicity did and gasped. The card read “Felicity Queen.” She looked up at Oliver with wide eyes and gasped again when she saw he was holding a diamond ring. But William beat him to the question.

“Can we keep you?”

Felicity ugly-cried happy tears as she pulled the boy into her arms. “Of course you can! Who could resist such a face?”

“What about my face?” Oliver asked.

“Yours is pretty good too,” she said, grabbing his shirt and bringing him in for a kiss.

“Marry me?” Oliver whispered in her ear. Felicity was so caught up in in her emotions, she could only nod. Oliver kissed her again.

“Does this mean someday is coming finally?” Lizzie asked. Oliver smiled at the girl and pulled her into the family hug. “Oliver, um, would it be okay if I called you daddy sometimes now. You know, just for practice?”

Oliver looked up and met Felicity’s eyes with tears in his own, silently asking for permission. Felicity sighed contentedly and nodded.

“You sure can Lizzie, I would love that,” Oliver said, hugging the girl a little tighter.

“Okay, Daddy,” she whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too, honeybear.” And Oliver could not stop himself – he joined Felicity in her ugly cry as he hugged his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the wedding - so prepare for more fluff! :)


	9. Introducing, the Queen Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity get married - and they all become an official family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we are at the end of this story! Thank you so much to everyone who has read this - I'm still so much in awe of all the support it's gotten. You guys are the best. 
> 
> That being said - this is the wedding chapter, so I hope this meets all your needs for happy feels! I don't have a beta and I wrote this with my littles running around here today, so please forgive any errors you might find. Enjoy!

Felicity felt eyes on her. She was not ready to wake up, but the feeling she was being watched did not go away. She popped open one eye and saw Lizzie’s face less than an inch from yours.

“Mommy, wake up. It’s someday.” Felicity’s daughter was right – it was “someday,” or, the wedding day to be precise. Felicity rolled over in the bed and tried to wake herself up. She had not slept well last night. The three of them – her mother, daughter and herself – had stayed in the hotel where they were hosting the wedding last night and it was the first time she had slept out of Oliver’s arms in the six months they had been together.

Some people in the media said that they were getting married relatively quickly – in fact they were calling Felicity a gold digger, but the couple just brushed all of that gossip aside. They had been a family for a long time, and it was time to make it official.

Felicity’s phone rang and she smiled at the fact that appeared on the caller ID.

“What’s the rule about even talking to the groom on the wedding day?” She teased. “I really need to brush up on all this etiquette.”

“Screw the rules, I missed you,” Oliver growled. She heard the sexy gravel in his voice that he usually had when he just woke up. Rules were stupid…she just wanted to be with him. She just wanted to run her hands through that sleepy bed head she knew he was sporting.

Felicity sighed. “I missed you too. So is William as excited as Lizzie? She’s practically trying to drag me out of bed.”

Oliver laughed. “I think William has her beat – he woke me up already wearing his tuxedo. My mom made him change into regular clothes to eat breakfast.”

Felicity could not stop laughing at that image, and Lizzie was starting to get annoyed. “Mama, get off the phone. We have to start getting pretty!”

“Tell her I already think she’s beautiful,” Oliver said. Lizzie smiled at that, but yelled into the phone. “We gotta go, Daddy!”

Felicity chuckled at her daughter’s impatience. “Well, I had better go before she riots. I’ll see you at the altar, handsome.”

“Bye, Beautiful, I’ll be waiting for you,” Oliver said before hanging up.

***

Five hours later, Oliver got a knock on the door to the room he was pacing while waiting for the wedding to begin. Thinking it was John, he just hollered “come in,” but was surprised to see his sister walk through the door.

“Phew, I’m glad everyone is decent. My young eyes could not handle seeing my brother naked,” Thea teased.

“Hi Speedy, did you come here to help settle my nerves?” he asked.

“Not getting cold feet, are you big brother?”

“Never, I’m ready to do this. I just wish we could have done it with only a handful of people on the beach.” Oliver and Felicity had wanted a simple wedding, but their mothers had interfered and here they were. “All those people looking at us isn’t exactly what we wanted.”

“What are you going to do? Moms, gotta mom, but I have a surprise for you that might help.” Thea crossed the room to another door that led to the back hallway of the church. Oliver blinked in surprise to see Felicity standing there, in all bridal glory.

A beautiful white dress clung to her figure, and her golden hair practically glowed as it hung in beautiful curls around her face. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He must have had his mouth open, because Thea comically came up to him and closed it with a finger under his chin.

“Hi, my love,” Felicity whispered, tears shining in her eyes. “You look so handsome.”

Oliver finally recovered. “You. Are. So. Beautiful. What did I do to deserve you?”

“Not carry Band-aids to the park?” Felicity grinned up at him as she crossed the room and entered his embrace.

“Who knew my idiotic parenting decisions would lead me to the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Oliver leaned down and gave her a kiss, not caring at all if he messed up her makeup.

Thea cleared her throat behind them. “Sorry to rush this totally adorable love fest, but we only have ten minutes if you want to do this, Felicity.”

Felicity nodded and pulled a small envelope out of a pocket in her dress. Who knew wedding dresses came with pockets. Oliver looked at her, confused.

“I wanted to give you your wedding present now,” she whispered, handing the envelope to him. Oliver saw his sister slip discreetly out of the room as he slowly started to open the envelope. Inside was a picture of a sonogram with the words written on the top – “Baby Queen…arriving in six months.”

Oliver looked at the picture then up at Felicity, and then down at the picture again.  “We’re going to have a baby?”

Felicity nodded. “And this time, you are not thousands of miles away. You can be here for everything. You can come to every appointment, hold my hair back when I puke, you can try to force healthy food on me. And most importantly, you can be the first to hold our baby, and help him or her learn to walk, and hear their first word. Which will probably be DaDa.”

Oliver was fully sobbing now as he hugged Felicity. “This was already the best day of my life, but you just made it so much better.”

They held each other and cried for several minutes before Felicity finally pulled back. “My mom is going to kill me for messing up my makeup. I better get back so she can touch it up. I think we are supposed to start in a few minutes.”

Oliver reached out and grabbed her hand before she could go.

“Wait, Felicity. Can I say my vows to you now? I know we are about to do it in front of the crowd, but I will feel better if I can get what I want to say out now…to relieve the pressure.”

Felicity smiled at him. “That sounds perfect, actually. And I want to say mine too.”

She walked over to him and he took both her hands in his.

“Felicity Smoak, you are the most remarkable human being on the planet. The day I came home from the military and found out I had a son was the greatest day of my life. Not only because I became a father to the amazing William, but because that led me to you. When I first met you in that park and you later came to help me when my son was sick – I knew that I needed your help to become a better parent. But what I didn’t realize was how much I needed you in every part of my life.”

Oliver squeezed her hands before continuing.

“I fell in love with you early on, but each day you made me love you more and more. You awoke something in me that I thought my time overseas had destroyed forever. Connection with other people, love, family. You helped me build all those things, and I’m so excited to see the forever we build together. You and Lizzie have captured my heart completely, and I promise to love and protect you both for always.”

Felicity was crying, so Oliver handed her a tissue. “Now my mom is really going to kill me. That was so beautiful. My turn!” She wiped her eyes and then grabbed his hands again.

“Oliver Queen, you are the kindest and most wonderful man I have ever met. You told me once that fighting overseas broke you – but I wouldn’t change a single thing about the man you have become. Because of my past, I was absolutely certain that I would never fall in love and get married again. I locked my heart away to keep my daughter and myself protected. But along you came, with your helpless expression and your sweet nature and both of us fell in love with you.”

Felicity let go of his hand for a moment to wipe a tear from her eye.

“I told you that I only wanted to be friends, and you proved to me that you were the most patient man alive. You even promised we could grow old platonically with our collection of cats. I had never felt so respected and cherished. Over time, Lizzie and I gave you our hearts, and I know without a doubt they will be safe in your hands. I love the family that the two of us have made with you and William, and I can’t wait to grow old not-platonically with you.”

She leaned up and kissed him. “I have so many more things to say to you, but we don’t have much time yet, so I want to give you a second present.”

She pulled out the journal Oliver had given her and handed it to him. The pages were filled with her writing.

“You were right. Writing it all down, helped me heal. And I want you to have it, read it, and know how much you mean to me.”

Oliver held the journal up to his heart. “I can’t wait to read it, but only if you promise to read all of mine as well.”

She had read bits and pieces of his journal in the past, but nodded in agreement to read the rest. Knowing each other’s innermost thoughts and feelings would probably put their relationship on an even more intimate level – if that was even possible.

“So those were some great vows, baby, now going up there should be easy peasy,” Felicity grinned at him.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s like we’re already married and everything else is just icing on the cake,” Oliver said.

“Don’t say cake! I’m starving! Okay, husband, let’s go do this!” She gave him a peck and hurried out the door to the back hallway, just as Tommy entered the room.

“Was that the bride I saw scurrying by? John was waiting to walk her down the aisle and she was missing. We thought for a minute she had run off, but then we noticed you were missing too.”

Oliver laughed. “I’m ready, buddy, let’s go.” Oliver walked to the front of the church and waited to see his bride again.

***

Because of their practice run in the dressing room, the wedding went off without a hitch. There were many tears in the eyes of their friends and family as they said their vows. But everyone started ugly crying when Oliver and Felicity interrupted the ceremony to bring a judge up on the stage. Oliver called Lizzie over to him and crouched down so he would be right on her level.

“Dizzy Lizzie – you know that your momma is going to become a Queen today, right?”

Lizzie nodded and looked at him with wide eyes.

“I was wondering if you wanted to become one too? This judge here has a paper that I can sign to adopt you and become your daddy forever. But only if that’s okay with you.”

Lizzie squealed and leaped into Oliver’s arms. “Oh yes, yes! I love you daddy!”

“I love you too, honey.” Oliver held the girl for another minute before signing the papers. After that break in the ceremony, the wedding official finally told Oliver he could kiss his bride. When he did, the entire crowd cheered.

“It is my pleasure to introduce you to the Queen family,” the officiant announced, gesturing to Oliver, William, Felicity and Lizzie. Everyone cheered again, but Felicity noticed that William frowned a little. She tracked the young boy down during the reception, finding him sitting in the corner eating a plate full of mash potatoes sadly.

“Nobody should be sad while consuming all that carby-deliciousness,” Felicity said. “Mashed potatoes, huh? Excellent choice of meal.”

“It’s the best part,” William said, eyes still down on his plate.

“I totally agree, but why are you sitting here all sad in the corner and not celebrating with the rest of us?” Felicity put her arm around him, and was surprised when he leaned against her and started to cry. “William, what is it honey? Are you upset that I’m married to your dad?”

The boy pulled back and shook his head emphatically at her.

“No way! I’m so glad we get to keep you!”

“So what gives? Why the tears?”

The boy’s eyes filled with tears once again. “Well, you and Lizzie are now Queens. And I know I’m part of the family…but I’m a Clayton.” Felicity’s heart melted for the boy. She pulled him back in for a hug.

“Felicity?”

She looked up to see her husband standing there, leaning against a chair. They communicated with their eyes and she knew that he wanted to have a conversation with his son. Felicity could tell he had a game plan for the situation. Her heart filled with pride at how much he had grown as a father since she had met him.

She gave William a kiss on the head and handed the boy off to Oliver.

“Your dad wants to talk to you about this. I’m going to get myself some mash potatoes. Thanks for the great idea buddy,” she said, before slipping away.

***

Oliver hugged his son close, his heart breaking at William’s tears. But he had anticipated this would happen and already had a solution.

“I heard what you said to Felicity.” William hung his head at his father’s words. “It’s okay to be sad, but I have an idea that may make you feel a little better.”

William looked up at him with hope in his eyes. “I get to be a Queen?”

“Well, we don’t want to make your mom too sad either, buddy, but your Aunt Laurel talked to your mommy’s lawyers today before we came and I have great news. We are going to change your name to William Clayton-Queen. So you will be a Clayton and a Queen.”

William’s eyes lit up at this news. “Really? Thank you, daddy! I gotta go tell Lizzie! I’m so excited that we will be real brother and sister!” He started to run away, but stopped in his tracks.

“Hey Dad? You know how Lizzie calls you Daddy? She doesn’t have another daddy so it’s okay. But I already have a mommy but I love Felicity too and want to call her that too. But I know what you said about not wanting to make mommy sad.”

Oliver got down to eye level with William.

“Hmm…now that is a puzzle. You know Felicity loves you and is happy with whatever you want to call her.”

William nodded. “But Lizzie calls her Momma and I want to too!”

Oliver hugged his son to him. “You can call Felicity whatever you want buddy, and I worry about your mom so you don’t have to, okay?”

William smiled at him. “Thanks, Daddy, you’re the best…wait! I got an idea! I call mom...mommy and I call Felicity – Momma! It’s different so maybe mommy won’t be sad.”

Oliver didn’t have the heart to tell him that it still would probably upset his mother. He would deal with Samantha when the time came. For now, his heart was about to burst as he watched his son bound up to Felicity and shout “I love you, Momma!” His wife burst into tears and picked William up and practically hugged him to death.

Could life be any more perfect? When he laid awake alone on those warm nights deployed in the desert, he never could have dreamed he would have all of this.

His wife. His son. His daughter. His child-to-be. His friends and family. A beautiful life.

“Your father would be proud of you, you know,” his mother said at his side as he watched Felicity dance with William.

“You think so?”

“He already was proud of you…but yes, he would be in awe of the man you’ve become,” Moira told him. She gave Oliver a hug. “And I am too. Now don’t just stand here with your weepy mother, go ask your beautiful wife to dance.”

Oliver did just that, taking Felicity into his arms for a slow song.

“Are you happy, Mr. Queen?” Felicity smiled up at him.

“Absolutely, Mrs. Queen. What about you?”

“Absolutely. But I have terrible news. I overheard Lizzie talk my mom into taking them cat shopping while we are on our honeymoon,” Felicity said.

Oliver groaned.

“Well it’s going to get interesting because I also overheard William talk Thea into going puppy shopping,” she continued.

“We’re going to need a bigger house,” Oliver said.

“Sounds good – just don’t forget the pink paint for Lizzie’s room.”

“Actually, she informed me she was going with purple next time,” Oliver said with a laugh as he spun his wife around the floor.

The slow song ended and an upbeat song began. Lizzie ran to him and leaped into his arms and he danced with her, while Felicity and William spun next to them.

A beautiful life, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and for all your support! Follow me on twitter as smoakinfan or on tumblr as wherethereissmoak.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Drop me a comment and let me know what you think!


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